The Argonauts of California: being the reminiscenses of scenes and incidents that occurred in California in the early mining days

by Charles Warren Haskins

Old man Harper, who also worked in this ravine, was said to have made out $60,000; several others also, have made large profits here. They all left for home in the fall of ’49.

Soon after my arrival, there were at least 200 men at work in this ravine, and all doing well, for the ravine was wide and paid richly from bank to bank. Dr. Ober was very successful, and as he passed along down at night among the miners who were at work below him, with a smiling countenance showed his tin cup in which he carried his gold. I found that about $150 was his average day’s work. In my opinion, Oregon Ravine yielded at least $1,000,000 if not more, and considering its size was the richest one in this portion of the country.

In Spanish Ravine also was found a rich lead which continued up for a short distance from its mouth, and which was worked out in the summer of ’49. As we go to the east a few very rich spots were round near Smith’s Flat, one small ravine in particular near the Emigrant Road, and only thirty yards in length, yielded about $13,000. At the small town of Newtown, which was located about six miles nearly due east of Placerville, and upon the eastern edge of the gold-bearing district, from a small ravine, during the winter of ’49, was taken by a company of four men the sum of $64,000.

Weaver Creek upon the south was also very rich in many places, all included, however, in a distance of about four miles. Many small ravines emptying into it were also found to be very rich. Of the many cañons in the County of Eldorado, which were prospected and worked in the winter of ’49-’50, there was but one which was noted for its mineral wealth. This was Georgetown Cañon, from which it was estimated that fully $2,000,000 were taken up to the spring of ’53. Whether this is a correct estimate or not I cannot say, although this was the estimate of a miner who worked there for about two years, and returned to the East in the autumn of ’52 with about $20,000 as his portion of it.

There were also numerous small ravines emptying into all of these larger ones and the cañon which contributed their quota to the general fund, besides numerous flats, slides and benches, which however, were worked at a later day. The Big Cañon, two miles north of town, was in some portions of it very rich, and a few places were worked in ’49; but the greater portion, or rather the richer portion of it, near the head, was worked with toms, in the spring and winter of ’50-’51. The cañons lying at the east of this were not very rich, although one portion of White Rock Cañon worked in the winter of ’49-’50 by O’Brien, Grayson, Stuart and Dayton, was very rich. The South Fork of the American River, as well as the numerous bars upon it, was not noted for its paying qualities, although some few rich deposits were found. Upon Kanaka Bar a rich lead was discovered, which yielded many thousands. One beautiful nugget was found upon this bar which was valued at $1,010; but by far the richest bar upon the whole river was that belonging to Portuguese Joe, from which he realized a fortune.

As we advance to the north we find that a few rich places were discovered around Coloma, at Kelsey’s, Spanish Flat, Greenwood Camp, and in the vicinity of Georgetown.

Early in ’49 the country and rivers as far north as the Yuba River was examined and prospected, a few of the bars upon the latter being worked and found to be very rich.

Fortunes were realized from Spanish, Murderers’, Big and Michigan Bars, where Ex-Governor Stanford had his little store in ’52, the germ from which sprang the Great Overland Railroad.

In one respect Eldorado County differed from nearly all other mining counties in the State, or even upon the Coast, as the gold was more evenly scattered and the mines, as a general rule, were more shallow and much more easily worked. For these reasons they paid better for the time expended in working them, though naturally worked out much quicker.

In consequence of the first discovery of gold having been made in Eldorado County the first mining was confined to this portion of the mining regions, and for this reason also the yield of gold during the first two years subsequent to its discovery was greater than from any part of the State, the amount realized from the county up to the spring of ’51 having been estimated at $20,000,000.