Of course the doctor was somewhat astonished, as well as pleased also, to meet his old antagonist, and again acknowledge once more that he doon it weel at any rate.
Handshaking and the usual refreshments followed, as a matter of course.
The town, or village, of Coloma, is situated upon the south branch of the American River; it was here that gold was first found by Marshall; the old mill where he worked is still standing. Mr. Marshall resided here during his life, living in a small cabin upon the side hill, a portion of which he had planted with vines and fruit trees. The first mining, of course, was done here, and this location constituted the germ or nucleus from which radiated all other mining localities, for it was from this point that the prospectors started out in various directions in the search for other mines. Some of the prospectors took a southerly course and found the rich deposits among the ravines of what is now called Hangtown creek. Others found Kelsey’s, Spanish dry diggings, and further north they ran afoul of Georgetown and Greenwood, each locality deriving its name, when found, from some circumstance, event, or from the name of the finder. By the time of the arrival of the first gold seekers, who came via Cape Horn, hundreds of new locations had been made and named around the immediate vicinity of Coloma, and by the 1st of December, ’49 the country had been traveled over and prospected, from Coloma to the Slanislau River on the south, and up to the Yuba River on the north, and valuable mines found for over a hundred miles in both directions.
Before commencing the business of mining, our little company concluded first to build a residence, which we constructed of logs in the regulation style, with chimney in the rear, the front door opposite, and after stowing away pots, pans and kettles in their proper places, putting up bunks with all the necessary arrangements of curtains, out-riggers, etc., a few more blows with the hammer here and there made us master of the situation, or of the castle, at least.
After finishing our residence, we started in to the business of mining, for which we had traveled nearly half way around the globe. In a large ravine near at hand, called Oregon Ravine, as it was first found by a man from that State, we determined to make our first effort. There were at work in the same locality about two hundred others. The method of mining was of the most primitive character. The dirt would be dug down to the bed-rock and thrown to one side, as the dirt and gravel in immediate contact with the bed-rock, including the surface of the latter also, was all that was considered of any value. This was put into sacks and packed upon our backs down to the creek, where the gold was separated from it by panning. Many, however, would spread their pay dirt upon the ground, and when it was thoroughly dry would winnow it out by pouring it from the pan to the ground, the wind, when strong enough, answering a very good purpose. This was the style of mining as practiced by the Mexicans and also the Chileans, but it was a very slow process, and would only pay when no water could be found.
From the hill above, it was a strange sight to see men of all classes and from every State in the Union thus clustered together upon one spot in common, and all inspired with the one desire, i. e., to dig gold. All hard at work in the mud and water, with pick and shovel, each one determined to do his level best to get all he could in the shortest time possible.
Over in that ravine yonder is a crowd of Yankees from Maine and Vermont, with a leavening of a few Missourians and Kentuckians. In that large ravine to the right are three or four hundred hard-working, earnest, gold seekers from Massachusetts and New
York, and from Connecticut and Ohio, as well as a few from Georgia, Arkansas and Old Virginia. Upon that extensive flat below, the great crowd at work is of a more cosmopolitan character, being composed of men from all States in nearly equal proportions. But few are noticed at present hailing from the Southern States, except those of a sporting character, who will be found among the saloons and gambling houses. Among these, a few of the old style Southern politicians, who are dressed in regulation blue dress-coat, with its great brass buttons, and a white plug hat, can be seen daily promenading around from place to place, with the crooked cane hanging upon the arm. The emigration across the plains in the fall of 1849 was estimated to be about 25,000. But a small proportion of them, however, remained in the mining regions. The greater number of them being farmers, passed through to make their homes in the valleys below.