containing from ten dollars to twenty dollars, fifty dollars, and one hundred dollars to a pan, the most disgusted man in California. He tried to buy it back, and offered five hundred dollars for it. They took out in about five days nearly $7,000, and this was their first mining venture.
The winter of ’50-51 as before stated was a very dry one, and there was hardly water enough to run a tom. Consequently the summer of ’51 was very dry, and the dry diggings throughout the country were almost entirely deserted. This season saw large amounts of gold dust taken from the river beds of the Yuba, Feather and Bear Rivers, as well as in the various forks of the American, and also in the streams in the central and lower portions of the State. Small towns were now being started in the various mining districts. School-houses and churches were conspicuous among all, and the country was now, more than ever, assuming the appearance of civilization, to the great disgust of the border-ruffian element, one of whom was heard to remark:
“That ef these Yanks didn’t stop with that ar’ nonsense of fooling away their time with school an’ prayin’ shebangs, the whole country would go to h—l.” But time has since proved that he lied.
The emigration of this fall was larger than that of the year previous and was that of a better class, consisting principally of families, many of whom were from States east of the Mississippi.
A bulletin board, or, rather, a book for registering the names of the newly-arrived emigrants in order that friends and acquaintances could learn of their destination and location, was put up. Many amusing incidents occurred in the search for those who had previously arrived. A young man, having just arrived, made inquiries among the various barrooms and hotels for his brother, who had, as he was informed by the bulletin board, come across the plains this season. The young man was from Ohio, and his older brother had left home some twelve or fifteen years previous. The new arrival, therefore, was very anxious to find his brother. The train with which the young man had just arrived was under the control of a man from New Orleans called the Colonel, his real name not being known by any one upon the train. In making inquiries in one of the barrooms, with the hope of finding some one who could give him the required information in regard to his brother, a gentleman from New Orleans, who was present, remarked:
“Why, the man you’re inquiring for, the Colonel, is here in town, and I saw him not ten minutes ago over there in that drug store.”
The young man went over and saw the Colonel, with whom he had crossed the plains, in the store, and of course mentioned the reasons for his coming in as directed.