Adventuring in California, yesterday, today and day before yesterday

GIFT OF
Glass of 190

ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

•:A:COhlPR£HENSIVE VIEW

Liberty Cap, Nevada and Vernal Falls

ADVENTURING
IN CALIFORNIA

YESTERDAY
TODAY

AND

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY

BY
JESSIE HEATON PARKINSON

With Memoirs of Bret Harte's
"Tennessee"

Harr Wagner Publishing Company

San Francisco

California

Copyrighted

by
Jessie Heaton Parkinson

All Film Rights

Reserved

1921

DEAR HOME FOLKS-

Friends to whom this rambling letter of
"YESTERDAY" was originally written, in the
midst of Yosemite's grandeur, by the dusty road
side, and after our return home ; other friends ivho
remember the joys and the ups and downs of
camping with horse and zvagon in the peaceful
time between the "days of gold" and the days of
gasoline, and friendly strangers:

May these few echoes from the past bring to
you only pleasant memories.

My "TO-DAY" is the record of a small part of
what we found on our second trip into Yosemite.

Yours will be what you and your children may
find if you read well the story of

"DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY," put your car
in order, and follow ^vith seeing eyes, the trail of
the Pioneer in California.

457673

CONTENTS

Frontispiece iv

Liberty Cap, Nevada and Vernal Falls

Prelude .... XT

Yesterday 1

In Search of Health, 1893

Today 35

ipij-ip/p

And Now for the Big Adventure... . 59

The Day Before Yesterday 61

The Search for Gold
Beginning 1849

Memoirs of the Partners of Bret Harte's 'Ten
nessee" - 61

How Bret Harte Got the Foundation of his
Story -117

The Soul of Jonathan Was Knit \Yith the Soul
of David '.

Postlude -119
Blank Paees of Notes... 121

ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

YESTERDAY

TO-DAY

and
DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY

# # * *

PRELUDE

"There's a country famed in story,
As you've oftentimes been told;
'Tis a land of mighty rivers
Running over sands of gold ;
The abode of peace and plenty,
And with quietness 'tis blest;
But this country that's so famous
Lies away off in the west,"

ran the words of an old song heard in -early child
hood.

Marvellous mental pictures accompanied the ec
static thrill caused by the sound of these simple
words, and all became inseparably associated in
the child mind with the magic name, ^California,"
the Wonderland we were soon to explore.

PRELUDE

The Song and the Melodeon Accompanied us to California

"Where the snow-crowned Golden Sierras
Keep their watch o'er the valley's bloom,
It is there I would be in our land by the sea,
Every. breeze bearing rich perfume.
It is here Nature gives of her rarest,
It is Home Sweet Home to me."

Between the days of the singing of these two
songs stretch long years since we, descendants of
settlers who blazed their trail through the forest
to the guiding sound of great Niagara's voice.

PRELUDE

Xill

Reminiscences. Pioneer Home Near Niagara Falls

came "out west" over the first railroad constructed
by California Pioneers.

Wonderful as seemed our first adventuring into
the strange country, the thrill of adventure and the
joy of achievement are renewed and intensified by
the revelations of each new journey along pioneer
paths.

With what strange wisdom and accuracy did
the early builders of our State find the trail and
follow where Nature's hand had marked it, from
coast to heights, across broad, fertile valleys, along
deep river canons, through narrow mountain
passes, and up and around the most accessible of
the steep mountain slopes.

XIV

PRELUDE

First Welland Canal and Tow-path. Where Niagara s
Voice Was, Heard

So bounteously blessed by Nature, the children
of the California pioneer, with rare exception, have
waited for the perfecting of the automobile and for
good roads before seeking an intimate acquaint
ance with their great inheritance. They have
seemed content to remain as blissfully ignorant of
it as of their debt to the real civilization of the
"back east" which made possible the achievements
of their fathers ; but, like the eastern automobile
maker, just beginning to fashion cars suited to the
climbing of our mountains, they are waking up.*

:(1920) The "children" are now wide-awake.

PRELUDE

XV

"Places So Near Home" in Calaveras Hills

How often, after our return from some brief,
delightful gipsying in the vast out of doors, has
some "native" exclaimed at the records of our little
camera, "Why, I had no idea there were such
places so near home!"

O you American motorist ! Would you view a
whole great country within the boundaries of one
of its states? Then take your trusty tour book,
with its maps, and instructions to "turn right at
covered bridge, 10-15% grade here, altitude 4000
ft., excellent meals and accommodations at hotel,
also gasoline and oil," — and hasten on your way

XVI

PRELUDE

if you must watch the calendar. You will be glad
you came.

But if you have time to forget whether tomor
row be Wednesday or Friday, take some warm
blankets and a well-filled "grub-box," and spin
along the pioneer-trail boulevard from the Bay
of St. Francis, via Livermore's grant, to the great
Spanish land grant of Captain Weber — to the
City of Stockton, once called the "Slough City,"
now re-named the "Gateway City."

Stockton Channel Looking Down Toward the River

PRELUDE

xvi r

Start from the head of the Channel where, at
twenty-three feet above sea level, the tides rise
and fall. Pass slowly up Miner's Avenue, the broad
thorofare once crowded with temporary camps of
men and teams from the mines, then onward on
the great State Highway thru orchard, vineyard
and grainfield to the foothills, where, greeted by
the quick, glad welcome of the meadow-lark — lyric
rival of the eastern robin red-breast, — you draw
a deep, free breath, for here you begin to sense the
BIGNESS of it all.

When you reach the oak and digger pine country
drive slowly. If you hail from New England you

Stockton Channel as the Birdman Saw It In 1921

XVI 11 PRELUDE

will begin to feel at home, for surely none but New
Englanders would have taken so many rocks from
these vast acres and piled them up into miles of
enclosing walls for their bands of sheep and cattle.
Drive on, to where the soil is yellow-red, and the
creek beds are filled with earth and rock torn from
the hillsides above by the devastating hydraulic
pipe in its search for gold.

1 I

Mariposa Li7p Camp After Sunset

Tarry awhile in the old mining towns ; and when
you have seen and learned all the interesting things
your brain can hold and your note-book store,
drive on and up, till you have found just the right
camping place beneath the tall pines, firs, and
cedars, up from the river.

PRELUDE

XTX

Up from the River

After what is left from your supper has been
put back into the grub-box, and the camp-fire has
been carefully extinguished in accordance with the
rules posted by our brave, helpful Forest Rangers,

XX

PRELUDE

The Banks of the Boulder

unroll your blankets and lie down close to mother
earth, under the comfortable, protecting canopy of
the bluest-blue sky, and look up to the goldest-
golden stars you have ever seen, as they swarm
out. Open your ears to the music of the river, as
it washes the banks and boulders and to the deep,
mysterious silences of the night, until — un-til—
tin — t-il — the spell of the Sierras enfolds you and
you sleep the sleep of peace.

PRELUDE

XXI

"A/j; Country, 'Tis of Thee." Our "Jenny L'md" Who Trilled
as the Birds Taught Her

In the clear, crisp air of the morning, your soul
will sing the "Doxology," and "My Country, 'tis
of thee." You will be eager to tell your friends
all about it ; yet I think that some of you will under
stand a little of the selfish gratitude felt by some
of us that there are still a few mountain places not
thoroughly popularized by unseeing people.

Other lands have mammoth trees, but Califor-

XXII

PRELUDE

"/ Love 77ip Rocfe

PRELUDE

XXTIT

and Rills-
ma alone, the Sequoia; others, high and snowy
mountain peaks and cruel, awe-inspiring canons ;
but our Sierras, having all these, from flower-
bedecked plateaus to loftiest heights, are so vast,
yet so lovable.

Sublimely beautiful in nature; rich in history
and poetic lore and strong in its power of achieve
ment, is California.

Great writers have immortalized it in prose and
verse; but in nothing has the every-day life and
history of this part of early California been more

XXIV

PRELUDE

perfectly portrayed than in the simple, truthful
narration by one of the two old mountaineers I
called "David and Jonathan."

Before you read his story, let me tell you how
we made their acquaintance:

A Few Places Not Yet Popularized

PRELUDE

XXV

An Expert Angler

ADVENTURE 1
YESTERDAY

(1893)
IN SEARCH OF HEALTH

On the evening of the First of July the Man
of the house and I, together with our horse and
wagon and all the necessary equipment for a long
camping trip, boarded the San Joaquin river boat
at San Francisco and headed for Stockton, en
route to Yosemite Valley.

An important part of said equipment was a small
two-wick coal-oil stove, upon which we were to
cook the germea mush prescribed for the Man, a
small oil can, and some bottles for the "indispen
sable" milk we were told to buy from the farmers
along the way.

Our cooking arrangements have thus far proved
a success, though the restricted diet has already
been agreeably varied. The farmers have been
quite willing to let us camp in their yards, as we
hasten to explain that we will build no camp fires.

2 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

As we drove off the boat at the "Slough City"
early Sunday morning, we gave a passing glance
to its stately Courthouse and its beautiful, elm-
shaded streets, then hurried on into the country,
near Lodi, where wre visited the Morse family un
til Monday afternoon.

For the benefit of any readers who may con
template taking the Yosemite trip for the first time,
I will give the names of towns and post offices,
with distances as nearly accurate as can be as
certained, considering that no two persons seem

Stately Courthouse

YESTERDAY 3

to agree concerning the number of miles between
points.

Traveling for health and pleasure, we intended
to rest whenever we felt the need, so made an
early camp in the door - yard of a kind farmer
named Cole, in the vicinity of Linden, whose fam
ily gave us a welcome fit for invited guests, filled
our bottles with fresh, creamy milk in the morn
ing, and sent us on our way refreshed in mind
and body.

We rejoined the main road at Farmington, sev
enteen miles east of Stockton, and early Tuesday
evening pitched our tent (in reality, a covered
wagon) in a rocky creek bed on a large wheat
ranch known as "The Locusts." Here we had our
first setback. Our somewhat bulgy-eyed, but other
wise fine looking horse, guaranteed by the San
Francisco dealer to be perfectly safe for our pur
pose, seemed locoed. Picketed above the creek bed
where the feed was good, he soon managed to wind
himself up in the rope, kicked out wildly, and his
feet flying from under him, slid forcibly down the
steep bank upon the rocks beneath.

I thought our mountain trip had surely come to
an end, but when he was untangled he was found
to be uninjured.

4 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

Next morning, after much balking, he broke into
a run, and we had to let him go as he pleased, lest
he might not start again if interfered with. Fi
nally arriving at Knight's Ferry, about six miles
distant, we slackened speed, drove through the
town to an old stone flour mill, erected in 1852,*
then crossed the covered bridge over the Stanis
laus River to Buena Vista.

About halfway up the hill the horse stopped
again. All persuasive eloquence failing to move
him, our handsome young "Colonel" was taken
from the shafts, and a more plebeian animal hauled
the wagon up the hill to the premises of the vil
lage blacksmith, where we camped until Saturday
morning, by which time our aristocratic "Colonel"
was traded for an older and a wiser horse. "Cas-
sius Bonaparte," we have dubbed the latter. Thus
far, he has proved a treasure. He is mountain
born, and knows how to climb steep hills. His age
is seventeen years, we are told.

From the deserted Keystone House, where the
road forks, a misplaced fingerboard pointed us to
the left fork, which really leads to Sonora. How-

*(Yesterday) This old mill, now supplying electric power for
many places, is one to which the ranchers for many miles down
the great valley of the San Joaquin once brought their grain
to be ground into flour and meal.

YESTERDAY

Knight's Ferry Mill and Bridge

ever, one of us has a keen sense of direction, and
wisely took the right-hand road.
* # # # #

Chinese Camp is a nearly defunct mining town
with a post office, blacksmith shop, a store, saloons,
a Catholic church, a school, with twenty-five in at
tendance, and a few dwellings. Several adobe and
stone buildings, with heavy iron doors, remain,
showing that this was once a prosperous mining
town. An old dance hall bears the date, "1854."

At one place we saw a number of beehives.
Bees ought to be very profitable in the foothills.

We crossed the Tuolumne river at Moffitt's toll
bridge and followed that beautiful mountain stream
to a point where the road turned at the mouth of

6 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

Moccasin creek, where we camped for the night.

Monday morning, a three-mile drive brought us
to the foot of the much talked of terror of the
road— Priest's Hill*

We had been solemnly assured that this famous
grade was "just two miles long.1' We started up
the hill at half past six in the morning and reached
the top at ten minutes past ten of the same fore
noon, both of us walking nearly all the way.
("Walking" included driving from beside the wag
on and putting the brake on and off by one of us,
and trudging through the deep dust with rock in
hand, to aid in blocking the wheels, by the other.)
From foot to top of this steady, winding up-grade,
there is a rise of 1400 feet, but O, what scenery!

From Priest's Hotel, we drove on to Big Oak
Flat, one mile distant — a place owing its name to
an enormous fallen oak tree, which lies with its
roots toward the road. This is another dead min
ing town. One man is postmaster, express agent,
Justice of the Peace and Notary Public. His sign
failed to state what other offices he holds.

In a creek bottom beside the road, a Chinaman
was washing the tailings from an old mine. In

*This grade was built a piece at a time, by each Pioneer
who had built his home beside this remarkable grade.

YESTERDAY /

answer to our queries, he said he made from two
to three bits a day. The mining fever seems to
attack all races.

To the next post office, Groveland, known in
early days as Garrote, is two miles. A little far
ther up the road, some lovely white flowers, un
like any we had seen before, filled the air with
fragrance.

About two miles above Groveland, we came to
Second Garrote, which consists of a few scattered
houses. There, while resting in the shade of some
oak trees, we were overtaken by an old gentleman
who was bringing in some wood on a home-made
cart drawn by an old black pony. He told us that
"right here" was the best camping place on the
road. Opening the gates, he led the way into an
orchard of apple and pear trees, in a peaceful lit
tle valley encircled by hills covered with pines
and oaks.

He informed us that he had formerly mined
there. He and his old partner had lived there for
forty years. Several times they had left in dis
gust, but always drifted back. Many years ago
they planted the orchard, hoping to make their liv
ing from it in old age, but, owing to the great
distance from market, it had never paid. They had

8 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

twenty tons of fruit in one year, and sold not more
than three tons. They sold much of that to the
ranchers by the wagon load, to feed to stock.

These two lonely old gentlemen (David and
Jonathan, I call them) keep their place as neat as
wax, and the Century, California!!, and other well-
known periodicals are on their table.

We left the orchard camp on Tuesday morning,
carrying with us a pretty garden bouquet graci
ously presented by one of the charming old gen
tlemen.

Tuesday noon, passing by Hamilton's Station*
we stopped for lunch at the Toll-gate. The toll
charges are rather peculiar. If you have a one-
horse rig, you are not charged toll for the horse,
but one dollar for each person. For a large team,
the charge is per animal, — nine dollars for six-
horse team, twelve dollars for ten-horse team, etc.
Rather steep.

From the Toll-gate to Crocker's, or Sequoia, is
called eleven miles. We left the first-named place
at 2:30 P. M. After passing a cabin known as
"Harden's", where the frost was beginning to fall,
we found no satisfactory camping place, so pushed
on, up a steep hill, down a few feet into a canon,
then up and around another mountain, repeating

YESTERDAY

this until night overtook us. We walked up almost
every hill and were quite tired out, when suddenly,
from the canon on our right came a long, shrill
cry. For an instant, we listened. "JmilP ^nto tne
wagon!" came the command. "Wild cat"? I quav
ered. "It sounds like a woman or a boy scream
ing," was the reassuring reply. (I really didn't
think he thought it was what he suggested.) The
cry was repeated, and we jumped into the wagon
in the nick of time, for our nearly exhausted old
Cassius heard the second cry, and went galloping
through the darkness, over bridges and gullies, not
stopping till he had dashed through the gate flung
open by someone who heard the clatter of our rig,
and he slowed down before Crocker's Hotel. There
we learned for a certainty that we had heard the
never-to-be-forgotten cry of the California lion,* or
panther, whose lair was less than half a mile away.

It was half past eight when we turned into camp,
firmly resolved never again to be found on the road
after dark. As soon as Cassius had been provided
with all the comforts a horse could have, we tum
bled into the wagon, booted and clothed and coated

*Lion killer Jay Bruce, who has to his credit the destruction
of 100 mountain lions, says that the lion does not scream.
Ours did.

10 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

with dust, and knew no more till the morning sun
was high.

Strange to say, we awoke quite rested, and left
the beautiful camp at Crocker's at half past nine.
For about three miles, the road seemed compara
tively level ; then we commenced the ascent of what
is spoken of as the seven-mile hill, intending to
camp at Crane's Flat, five miles up the hill.

Riding a few yards, then plodding along on foot,
on and on we toiled. We noticed the pines becom
ing larger and larger, and about a mile from the
Flat we saw our first Sequoia. Next we saw a
sign, 'To the Tunnel," and turning to the left, we
drove through the "Dead Giant." Its shortest di
ameter is twenty feet. I walked around it as close
to the tree as possible, taking fifty-six steps. It
must have been a magnificent sight when living.

We reached Crane's Flat, seven and a half ( ?)
miles from Crocker's, after a journey of more than
six hours, exclusive of the noon rest.

The present population of the Flat consists of
two persons, — a young Mexican in charge of the
stock range, and an older man, a Pennsylvania
Dutchman, whose chief business, so he said, is to
keep the fences in repair. He is also a cook, for
he brought us a pan of first rate hot biscuits for

YESTERDAY 1 1

our breakfast. In the evening, the two men vis
ited at our camp fire, and many an interesting tale
of the mountains they told us. Then they spoke
of their travels. The older man had been "all over
the United States." The young man, an expert
on horseback, and who could conceive of no real
traveling in any other way, had once been "way
down to Fresno." "To Fresno !" scornfully snorted
the older, traveled man.

We decided that we needed to rest for a day or
so in this ideal spot, nearly 7000 feet above sea
level. We camped on the hillside overlooking the
meadow, under a black oak tree which measured
eighteen feet in circumference. We scarcely no
tice a smaller one, — in fact, the trees are all built
on so stupendous a scale they soon cease to look
so very large.

My husband and I had dinner at the same table,
but he ate his meal in Mariposa County, while I
dined in Tuolumne.

Thursday afternoon four girls — a teacher and
her pupils— with two pack horses to carry the beds
and provisions, passed on their way home from
Yosemite. They live in the mountains near Coul-
terville, and had made the trip, fifty-four miles each
way, on foot, besides walking to all points of in-

12 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

terest in the Valley, — even climbing to Cloud's
Rest, they told us.

Friday morning we left Crane's Flat, and in an
hour and a half reached the Summit, two miles
distant and 1000 feet higher. There were rocks
here as high as a house, and on the sandy ground,
tiny, cushiony, pink and white flowers.

Soon we commenced going down, down, — the
road winding down the mountain side like a snake
track, so that from each section of the grade we
were on, we could look straight down on the sec
tion below. From this place to the floor of the Val
ley is called twelve miles.

We had been told that at "O My! Point" the
Valley bursts upon the sight like — well, no one
could say just what, but anyway, it is supposed
to be a startling sight. It didn't "burst" upon us
at all. All along the road the scenery had been
growing more and more wonderful, and, when we
reached the climax, we seemed incapable of being
startled.

But how it does grow upon one ! Every mile
of the way into camp (and there are four heavy
miles of them) the walls of solid rock seem larger
and grander. (My store of adjectives is about
exhausted.) There is a rock before me now called

YESTERDAY

13

Stoneman House, Later
Destroyed by Fire

North Dome. Its top
must be at least 5000
feet higher than where
1 am sitting, writing
to you. I can scarcely
look at it, — my eyes
ache so from so much
looking.

We are camped on
the bank of the Mer
ced River, not far from the Stoneman House, in

sight of the Royal Arches.

* * * * *

If you come to Yosemite, do not bring a heavy
wagon. If you haven't a light covered wagon,
bring some goods for a tent. The dews are often
quite heavy. You needn't bring a great load of
provisions. Milk can be had, but vegetables are
harder to get.

A woman should have a duster and one warm
wrap. Her dress should be short. Bloomers would
be much better. She could take a short skirt to
wear over them upon reaching the village.

Last, but important suggestion. Come early
enough in the season to see the Falls in all their
beauty, — not later than the middle of July.

14 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

SECOND LETTER

I would not presume to attempt to describe
Yosemite Valley. I will say just as little as I can
about it.

The evening after our arrival we had a call from
Elder Nesbit and wife and Mrs. Cutler, of Colusa,
and a large, happy party of their friends from Irv-
ington, — near neighbors in Camp Sunshine. They
invited us to attend a "Sunrise Service" at Mir
ror Lake on Sunday morning, telling us that the
sun would not be up very early.

We were on hand in good time. We met other
campers, and guests from the hotels, and together
watched the reflection of rocks and trees and the
towering Half Dome in that flawless mirror.

All other voices were hushed and men's hats
came off as the clear, reverent tones of Elder Nes
bit were heard, telling of Jesus and the Sea of
Gallilee.

At eight o'clock a faint, roseate light appeared
in the water near a jutting knob of rock, growing
brighter and more golden, till the sun burst over
in a blaze of glory, and, led by the beautiful voices
of Elder and Mrs. Nesbit, simultaneously rose the
song, "There is sunshine in my soul."

YESTERDAY 1 5

An onlooker afterward said to me, "I have been
in nearly all the great cathedrals of Europe, but
I have never been in one where the service im
pressed me as did that simple one on the shore of
that wonderful lake. The Bible reading, the song,
the prayer that followed, and all the surroundings
were one perfect harmony."

One should see the lake before and at sunrise.
Half an hour afterward, although the reflection is
still good, the mirror is dusty and shows many
flaws, and ripples appear on its surface.

June is considered the best month in which to
visit Yosemite if people wish to see the falls at
their best; but, owing to the late spring, we were
early enough to see them before the volume of
water had greatly decreased. Yosemite Fall, dash
ing down the mountain wall in three splendid leaps ;
beautiful, graceful Bridal Veil, swaying to right
and left in the wind; Vernal and Nevada Falls in
the Merced River, and the wildly magnificent Cas
cades, are alone well worth going a long distance

to see.

* * * * *

16

ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

Vernal Falls

YESTERDAY 17

There are two hotels, owned by the government
and leased to private parties. The Sentinel is the
first reached after entering the Valley. Board and
room can be had for $3.50 per day. The Stone-
man House is a fine, three-story building of a mod
ern style. Rates are $4 per day. Its register con
tains names of arrivals from England, France,
Switzerland, Russia, Holland, — in fact, from al
most every part of the civilized world. Uncle
Sam's chariot comes to the hotel every day with
mail for hotel guest and camper. It takes two and
a half days for mail from San Francisco to reach
the Valley.

The great register in the office of the Custodian
of the Valley, containing names of visitors and re
marks added by them, makes interesting reading.
Numerous parties have walked all the way, some
driving pack-horses or mules, some traveling with
out baggage and stopping at the wayside hotels.
One man, writing for his party, said: "Hoofed it
from Stockton, via Big Trees. No horses, mules,
etc." To this, one of his tired companions had
added, "but all asses."

In conspicuous places all over the Valley are
posted "Rules and Regulations" bearing the signa
ture of the Secretary of the Interior. One of these

18 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

rules states in very plain terms that "No intoxi
cating liquors shall be sold within the Park limits."
A few yards from the Stoneman House is a build
ing displaying this sign in large letters: "Store,
Bar, and Billiards." On the ground beside and at
the back of this place are hundreds of empty bot
tles, all labeled, as far as we observed, "Sarsapa-
rilla and Iron." I do not for a moment suppose
that intoxicating liquors are sold in the Valley,
but the amount of Sarsaparilla and Iron consumed
seems excessive.

Groceries are, no doubt, rather dear, but we
have had occasion to patronize the store only once.
A half gallon of oil for our diminutive cook-stove
cost forty cents.

Excellent home - made bread, equal in size to
three loaves of baker's bread, can be had for twen
ty-five cents a loaf; also, the best of meat at very
reasonable prices. We pay fifteen cents a quart
for rich, creamy milk — and the quart always meas
ures at least three pints.

Hay costs fifty dollars a ton and barley four
cents a pound.

We have met many campers who made the mis
take of piling a four-horse load on a two-horse
wagon, then, rushing their teams and their poor

YESTERDAY 19

tired selves along as fast as they could go, from
daylight till dark, finally reached their destination
"too foot-sore and disgusted to care about seeing
anything" — as one told me. Some had brought
tables, rocking chairs, washtubs and flatirons, and
many changes of dress. One youth had his base
ball and bat and felt quite out of sorts because
"nobody seemed to care to play baseball" — in
Yosemite !

The lower end of the Valley is a deep jungle,
and, in consequence, all the campers are to be
found in the upper part near the hotels. It is a
long, heavy pull through the sand to the foot of
the grade near the middle part, so we camped there
at the base of El Capitan (the great rock radiat
ing heat like a Titantic furnace) the night of our
departure, in order to get an early start and miss
incoming teams on the narrow, winding grade.
By so doing, we made Sequoia, better known as
Crocker's, the afternoon of the same day.

We found many pleasant campers at Crocker's,
among them a Judge Ogden and his interesting
family, of Oakland.

20

ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

On the way down from Crane's Flat, we again
drove through the "Dead Giant," then tying to
gether all our picket and baling rope, each took
an end and carried it around the tree till we met.
Afterward, we measured the rope and found that

A Blind Washoe Centenarian Resembling Captain Lewis

the circumference of that old tree, denuded of its
bark and with one side partly burned away, is
eighty-three and a half feet. One of our friends
at Second Garrote later told us he had taken the
first known measure of that "stump." I regret

YESTERDAY 21

that I have forgotten what he said its height was
at that time. My husband's estimate now is sev
enty-five feet.

The second night we arrived at the apple orchard
camp, and concluded to stay over for a day or so,
for a rest and general "cleanup." The owners
kindly helped by lending me their washtub.

While there we had a call from an old Indian
whose feet had never known shoes, — Captain Lew
is, once a big chief in the Sierras. In a broken
jargon of Spanish, Indian and English he made
us understand that he had been a great man and
was very, very old. He did not know his age, but
declared that he was a man when all the old white
men in that region were "pickaninnies/' Our hosts
told us that when they came there forty years be
fore, Captain Lewis looked just about as he does
now, but could walk better. This once big chief,
his wife and children gone, travels from place to
place, getting his living by begging. He pathet
ically told us that his good friends all give him
food and drink, then said "Vamos !" He got some
tea and sugar from us, but was much disappointed
to learn that we had no "demijohn."

We bade goodbye to our friends at Garrote, with

22 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

their interesting reminiscences of the Donner
Party,* Colonel Hutchings, and other famous pio
neers, came down to Buena Vista, had a short
visit with the good blacksmith and his family, then
took the road on the left bank of the Stanislaus
river toward Oakdale.

At the promising little city of Modesto, we
traded our wagon for a more satisfactory rig. It
had been used as a light hotel bus, and had two
convenient steps at the rear.

The manager of the Postal Telegraph office
proved to be my young messenger - boy friend,
Johnny Fitzgerald, formerly of Colusa, now grown
up and as alert and ambitious as ever.

He told us with pride that Modesto was well
supplied with pure drinking water, but that all the
water needed for irrigation would soon be brought
from the Tuolumne River, where "the largest dam
in the world is under process of construction."

We waited until the sun's rays grew less melt
ing, then we headed toward the Coast Range Moun
tains. For miles we drove through vast grain-
fields, with houses far between. The grain looked

*The old gentleman had gone with Colonel Hutchings on his
second trip into Yosemite.

YESTERDAY 23

fine, but what a dreary country !* When each big
ranch has been cut up into many small farms,
Modesto will have a chance to grow. We drove
for six miles without seeing an occupied dwelling.

We crossed the wide San Joaquin River for our
night's camp at Crow's Landing, named for a
southern pioneer family who settled there in the
early '50's. The river mirrored the most wonder
ful sunset of purple and gold.

A pleasant memory of a hot July day was given
us by a lonely housekeeper on. an immense ranch,
who invited us into the coolest room in her house,
where we remained for several hours. When we
left, she gave us from her scanty store of books
a copy of Bill Nye's "Baled Hay," with which to
while away our spare moments. Later in the day
we almost circumnavigated the kingdom ("ranch''
doesn't describe it) of the Miller and Lux cattle
range. We were told that this firm has seventy -
eight miles of unbroken fence along the San
Joaquin River, besides its many possessions else
where.

*On February 6 of this year (1921) we plucked the first but
tercups of the season, from the roadside, when on a delightful
spin along the newly completed concrete highway, bordered by
pretty homes set in fig and orange orchards, where good old
Cassius had hauled us and our heavy rig thru deep and heavy
sand.

24 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

The following day, having very plain instruc
tions as to the road, we started for San Luis
Ranch. After a drive of a few miles, we saw a
lone blacksmith standing beside his shop door. He
told us we would have to go back to the road we
had left (about three miles) as Mr. Miller had
nailed up the gates on the road usually taken. We
were then to go a short distance and "take the first
right-hand road." We did, but it was evidently
not our road. Again we went back, and inquired
of the next man we met. His answer was, "Go
straight ahead till you get to the first right-hand
road, then turn. You can't miss it. There is no
other right-hand road."

These directions were repeated at intervals by
different persons, each emphasizing, "You can't
miss it."

The country was covered with right-hand roads
as good as the one we were on, but we kept going
ahead till after sunset, when we came to the base
of a hill where stood a small schoolhouse, and we
had to turn to the right, reaching San Luis Ranch
after dark. (There were no panthers there. They
couldn't compete with the land grabber.)

Next morning we crossed the first hills of the
Coast Range at Pacheco Pass, and after a drive

YESTERDAY

25

of several miles found ourselves in a pleasant val
ley of which Hollister is the chief town.

The grain in this section was the finest we had
seen, and the trees were heavy wth luscious
peaches, apricots and other fruits. Climate and
soil are good, yet everywhere were deserted farms
and orchards.

Hollister being on the edge of the fog belt, we

bought some heavy unbleached muslin and thread,

—materials for a curtain for the surrey top of our

wagon.

Leaving the town, with its neatly kept, rather

San Juan Bautista Mission, Founded in 1797

26 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

quiet streets and cosy looking houses, for nine
miles we drove over a road like a race-track to
the tumble - down, very picturesque old Spanish
town of San Juan. A strong, cold wind was blow
ing, and we sought shelter beneath the tiled roof
of the piazza of the old adobe Mission, San Juan
Bautista. (St. John the Baptist.)

The church proper, from a view of the interior,
appears to be at least one hundred and twenty feet
long. It is in good repair and in daily use. The
adjoining wing measures three hundred and thirty.
A few of the best preserved rooms serve as a dwell
ing for the parish Padre. He was absent, but we
obtained permission from his housekeeper to pre
pare our meal on the long brick-tiled piazza.

In this -historic setting, we placed our little oil
stove in one of the deep, sheltered window ledges,
and cooked successively, a rare, three-course feast
of potatoes, tomatoes, and a very tender beefsteak.

Our night camp was about thirteen miles far
ther, in the oak-covered yard of a Danish family
named Madsen. In the morning, kind Mrs. Mad-
sen allowed me the use of her sewing machine for
the stitching of the long seams and hems on our
wagon curtains. With heavy linen thread, I
worked some stout buttonholes in the top hem,

YESTERDAY 27

buttoned the goods around the surrey roof, tied it
with tape at the rear, and we had the cosiest little
tented wagon imaginable.

Three miles more and we were in Salinas, — next
to Modesto the liveliest town we had seen. This
is the land of beans and Burbank potatoes. Many
acres are covered with sugar beets, and this year's
wheat and barley crop cannot be surpassed. One
business man told us of seventy acres of land that
yielded one hundred and fourteen bushels of barley
to the acre.

The soil of this region should grow fine fruit, yet
little or none is grown, owing partly to the fact that
grain, potatoes, etc., yield much sooner than fruit
trees, but chiefly because Salinas has long been
side-tracked as far as railroad communication is
concerned. The people are greatly interested in a
project to complete the line from Salinas to con
nect with the overland road near Santa Barbara.

After facing a cold wind for twenty miles along
a heavy, sandy road, to the left of the beautiful,
world-famed Hotel Del Monte, we hastened through
the historic streets of Monterey to the post-office,
eager for news of the wee laddie we had been
obliged to leave at home.

We encamped at Monterey among some oak and

28 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

pine trees, whose branches dripped fog, but in our
newly-curtained wagon, with the stove on its floor
during supper getting, and the hay bed made up
after the meal was over, we were quite com
fortable.

Next day being Sunday, we attended service in
the new Congregational church at Pacific Grove.
I cannot repeat the text, but I know that the Pastor
laid much stress upon "Hospitality."

After the service, we were recognized by a lady
from Lodi, who invited us to her cottage for din
ner. Her bread and baked beans were delicious—
especially so, as, in our haste to get the letter from
home, we had forgotten to buy any bread, and our
larder was very scantily stocked that day.

It was a ivonderful sermon.

We spent a week in the Grove and vicinity, en
joying the delightful seventeen-mile drive, the visit
to the old Carmel Mission, founded by Father
Junipero Serra in 1770 and to the San Carlos Mis
sion in Monterey, founded in 1794, — in fact, enjoy
ing everything but the weather, which we found as
foggy as San Francisco at its foggiest.

The monument erected in honor of the good
Padre Serra by Mrs. Leland Stanford, represent
ing him in the act of stepping from a row boat,

YESTERDAY 29

Bible in hand, is a fine piece of statuary. It is on
a high bluff overlooking the bay and but a few
rods from the landing place of that brave-hearted
missionary and his little band.

The Chinese fishermen's huts at New Monterey
are all inhabited this season, owing to the unprece
dented run of salmon.

The drive back through Salinas to Castroville
(a small town whose population is chiefly Spanish,
Portuguese and Italian), thence through Moss
Landing to one of our most pleasant camps, occu
pied a good part of the next day. Like the Cole
family near Linden, the hospitable family, the Gib-
erson's, in whose yard we stayed for the night,
invited us into their house as honored guests. In
cidentally, we learned that they had formerly lived
in Los Angeles, where their best neighbors had
been former friends of mine in the east.

A pleasant drive of a few miles over rolling
hills, and Watsonville literally burst into view. A
perfect little gem it appeared in a beautiful setting
of green, orchards and gardens dotting every hill
side.

Watsonville ships large quantities of fruit, espe
cially the choicest of apples, to San Francisco, and
many other places. Acres of sugar beets supply

30

ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

the great sugar refinery established by Claus
Spreckels.

About twelve miles from Watsonville is Aptos
Ranch, the beautiful country home of the sugar
king. This is in the redwoods of the Santa Cruz
mountains.

Natural Bridge, Santa Cruz

Four miles' of easy driving brought us to Soquel,
and another four miles over a well-sprinkled road
to Santa Cruz, a city on many hills. It claims a
population of six thousand yet has only one busi
ness street. Handsome residences, a wealth of
beautiful flowers, a fine beach and a salubrious

YESTERDAY 3 1

climate, tend to make Santa Cruz an ideal summer
resort, yet many places bear the sign, "For Sale."

We camped for two days at a spot near the town
which someone has named "Seabright." It has
three houses, I believe, and no stores.

We returned to Soquel by way of Camp Capitola,
then, taking the San Jose road, went four miles
farther on to Lasell and Rudy's saw-mill. The red
wood timber with which the hills are thickly cov
ered is used for shingles and fruit boxes.

We spent a day in this delightful, health-giving
climate, where it wras neither too hot nor too cold
and the sun shone all day, then found uphill work
for the greater part of six miles till Hotel de Red
wood was reached. We thought, "What a climate
for the sick to grow well !" and what a fine view of
the bay we shall have in the morning!" Alas! In
the night a forest fire, caused by some careless
campers, started a few miles below us, filling the
pure air with smoke and ashes and completely ob
scuring the anticipated view.

Two miles more brought us to the summit, which
we were told has an elevation of only sixteen hun
dred feet. (We have been thinking of Sierra sum
mits.) The drive down the mountain is a delight
ful one.

32 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

A picturesque place is Mountain Spring Ranch.
Near the road is a novel fountain. A large red
wood stump is striped in red and white with stars
on the reservoir above. A big brown bear sits in
the center of this, holding an open umbrella above
his head. From the top of the handle water gushes
forth and pours over the umbrella, keeping up a
constant drip, drip on poor old Bruin's back. Large
gilt letters, "N. S. G. W.," dedicate this unique
fountain to the Native Sons of the Golden West.

Los Gatos (Spanish for The Gates) is an attrac
tive little town. It is prettily situated at the foot of
the grade in a prosperous fruit country.

It is a pleasant drive from this place to San
Jose, over a well-graded road which is watered
several times a day. For nearly the entire dis
tance it is like driving through one large orchard.
There are no fences.

San Jose is confidently expecting the removal of
the State Capitol from Sacramento to her own city.

On Mt. Hamilton, overlooking San Jose, is the
Lick Observatory, containing what is said to be the
largest telescope in the world.

From San Jose to Santa Clara — in fact, through
out the county — not an open saloon is to be seen
on Sunday, nor does anyone seem to be hanging

YESTERDAY 33

around a back entrance. "Prohibition does pro
hibit" on Sunday, apparently. Wonder if it
wouldn't be worth trying the other six days.

Passing through Mountain View and Mayfield,
we spent a half hour in the grounds of Stanford
University. The Museum is nearing completion.
Heavy bronze doors, having on each panel scenes
from Egypt, France, Italy, Greece and other coun
tries, open into a large room with floor and stair
cases O, so magnificently, coldly marble.

Hastening past the many beautiful country seats
around Menlo Park and others in San Mateo
County, we reached home, after an absence of
seven weeks, during which time we had slept in
doors just one night. We have driven five hun
dred miles and have gained a much better idea of
the country than we could have done in six months
travel by train. But the best gain of all is the gain
in health.

It may interest some reader to know that we
left home with two gold twenties and a little silver ;
that we paid ten dollars in our wagon trade, and
reached home with a little silver in the purse.

34

ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

INTERLUDE (1913)

Wait a minute, Dear People! Postpone your
reading of "Day Before Yesterday'' for a little
while. I've just received a telephone order to make
ready for a "try-out" into Yosemite this afternoon,
and may have something new to tell you upon our
return.

A GIFT

The Partners' Coffee Mill, from Connecticut

A LITTLE LATER (1913)
Well, folks, here we are! Now for our latest
experience !

4 ADVENTURE II
TO-DAY

(1913-1919)

On the twenty-second day of August, 1913, the
United States government, by its Secretary of the
Interior, Franklin K. Lane, formally opened Yo-
semite Valley to automobiles.

Thursday afternoon, August 28, 1913, we two
well - seasoned campers, with all the necessary

Chinese Camp

36 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

equipment for a limited motor trip, left the city of
Stockton and headed for Yosemite.

Years of close friendship with our mountain
roads and the accurate log kept by the master of
his car helped to make our well arranged schedule
appear perfect. Already, during the summer, two
week-end trips over Coulterville roads had brought
us midway to the Valley, but only the one route
could satisfy us.

Our plans were well made: We would drive
thru the San Joaquin Valley and the warm foot
hills when the sun was low; make a late camp
somewhere near Moccasin Creek; climp Priest's
Hill during the cool morning hours, and reach
Garrote, or some other pleasant, shady spot in
time for the noon rest, — and so forth.

We started. Spinning along the good roads of
San Joaquin, we were soon in Stanislaus county,
when, — shade of our balky, vindictive "Colonel!"
with a vengeful "sis-s-s-s" ! — out went a tire.

After the requisite rest( ?) in the August sun,
the journey was resumed, when soon, — "sis-s-s-s"!
—and the operation was repeated. Another repe
tition, and another, until, at the turn of the road
into Knight's Ferry, the "total depravity of inani
mate objects was fully illustrated. It would have

TO-DAY

37

been sheer folly to attempt the drive into Yosemite
with but one spare inner tube, and thirty-six miles
lay between us and home; and so, on a wearisome
side trip to Oakdale, we limped on three sound
tires, and the scene of the anticipated first night's
camp in the cool out o'doors, was shifted to the
warm, one-windowed room of a country hotel.

Next morning, tubes were vulcanized and extras
secured, and we crossed the river, and returned
to the main road at Buena Vista. Then on we
sped over the rocky road to a railroad crossing at

Coulterville

38 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

the Keystone House, and thru unchanged Chinese
Camp, where, one mile distant, the shrill whistle
of a locomotive shrieked a requiem to our long
since departed "Cassius!"

Soon we were descending a long, long grade,
from which the head of a vast canon across which
came the clatter of machinery from the stamp mills
of gold mines of fabulous wealth.

On this road of wonders, where every foot of
the way had, thus far, seemed so familiar, how was
it that we had failed to remember this one con
spicuous place ? Oh ! these were the mines of fa
mous old Jacksonville, of the "days of '49, " re
vived, reconstructed, and painfully modern.

Sharvmut Mine

TO-DAY

39

Ruins of Hostelry at Steven s Bar

At the foot of the grade, we crossed to the other
side of the gray, slickens-filled creek; passed thru
the old town, and espied the few remaining timbers
of what had been Moffitt's bridge; followed up the
bank of the clear, unpolluted waters of the Tuol-
umne River to the picturesque adobe castle ruins
of the old hostelry of Steven's Bar, and felt that
once again we were truly in Story-Book Land.

Here, in this ancient Inn, had the miners stopped
on the laborious journeys to and from the moun
tains and the Bay. Here, in its big fifty-foot ball-

40

ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

room, had they gathered from far and near in so
cial concourse.

The Bar, or Flat, is in litigation now. The care
taker, whose tent is pitched amid the castle ruins,
told us, in soft Southern accents, that he had been
up "oveh the Moccasin Creek road to Coultehville
last week, and the road was vehy good — but up
and down some." We didn't try it — just then-
hut crossed the large steel bridge where, in earlier

From Foot of Shawmut Grade

TO-DAY

41

days, Steven's Ferry had been, and stopped for the
noon lunch very near to our one-time camp on
Moccasin Creek; drove up the steep, neglected
grade of Priest's Hill to the Hotel, and on thru
Big Oak Flat, once more abustling mining town.
We found that every vestige of the historic oak
had been destroyed bv vandals.

Priest's Hotel, at Junction of Old and New Grades

Soon came Grovelaml, and the first sight of snow
on distant ridges. And then,— the place where
beautiful white flowers (the azaleas) had "filled

42

ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

Azaleas in Bloom Mid Shadows

the air with fragrance," — and we needed no painted
sign on the zig-zag rail fence to tell us that we
were nearing Garrote and the apple orchard.

There was the long-neglected orchard, its trees
filled with fresh young fruit; there stood the old

TO-DAY

43

house, with its roomy fireplace and homely chairs,
all fashioned by the honest hands of these builders
of our state. But dear old "David and Jonathan,"
whom we had come to know so much better now,
had long since crossed the "Great Divide."

Home of Tennessee and His Partner

A lilac, and a few of the New England flowers
of their planting still bloomed with the wild flowers
among the tall weeds.

Not long could we tarry, and on and up we went,
past Hamilton's Station, where a modern bathtub,
waiting- beside a brand-new house, gave an air of
incongruity with the surrounding scenery.

No time for a chat with the old-time keeper of
the toll-gate. Just beyond was the toll-bridge,

44

ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

where the tax of one dollar for ourselves and car
was collected.

In the late afternoon of the second day, as we

The Partners' Living Room

traversed the road up and around mountain after
mountain, our thoughts reverted to good old Cas-
sius, and to the blind faith, or blissful ignorance,
with which we had undertaken the first arduous
journey. Overhead, the trees met in well-remem-

TO-DAY

45

Toll-Bridge

46 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

bered graceful arch, and their dense shadows
brought early darkness, but no terrifying cry was
heard "from the canon on our right."

It was quite dark when we entered the open gate
at Sequoia, or Crocker's. "Firmly resolved never
again to be found on the road after dark" sang
sleepily thru my mind when, a little later, our sec
ond night's camp was made beside a rippling
stream, and two tired people rested peacefully be
neath the friendly stars.

In this rapid transit age, there is scant time
given to loitering by the way, and, our simple
breakfast over, \ve were soon rolling along the En
chanted Road. We reached the Tuolumne Grove
of Big Trees, — we again read the sign, "To the
Tunnel," and, "turning to the left," — a patient man
halted his car, while the camera was hurried to a
spot on the steep hillside and, at 8:15 A. M.,
caught its first glimpse of our stanch, upright old
friend, the so-called "Dead Giant."

The tour book's advice ended with Crocker's, a
distance of ninety-five miles. From this point, the
driver made his own log. Crane's Flat, two miles
within the boundary of the National Park, and the
same ideal spot for a camp that it was in '93, was
now occupied by army tents, and almost before I.

TO-DAY

47

The ''Dead Giant," Tuolumne Grove

48 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

had time to spy out the big oak up on the hill to
the left, one of Uncle Sam's boys in khaki stood
beside "our car to make sure that we read and
obeyed the forbidding sign, "Autos Take Right-
Hand Road." We did.

Here, for the first time, we found ourselves in
an unknown country. The matchless view from
"O MY! Point," — the half-scared thrill in gliding
down the serpentine grade, — were denied to us.
"Carriages without horses" might not yet enter the
Enchanted Valley at the foot of El Capitan. That
restriction has been removed by a recent order from
the Department of the Interior, therefore let the
unwritten report of the ingenuity and hard labor
called for in overcoming the peculiar construction
to progress on the 27 per cent grade between
Crane's Flat and Hazel Green be buried in — the
archives of the — Department of the Interior. Just
one "remark" here: Crocker's having been out of
hay, — no, of gasoline, Cassius, — no, the car, went
up and around the hardest turn on reverse. It
had gravity feed, and was short on fuel, but did
the best it could, under the circumstances.

Soon no longer lone mountain travelers were we,
but actors in a vast moving picture rehearsal in
which the stunts were most strenuous. Scenes of

TO-DAY

49

"Yesterday," 'To-day," and "Day Before Yester
day" appeared, blended and dissolved like the
"transformations" of the "Movies."

Mounted soldiers came into the picture as if by
magic, and escorted us to the Merced Grove of Big
Trees, where was another camp of soldiery at
"First Control."

We were now under strict military rule, and,
having answered a score or more of questions to
the satisfaction of the Alcalde — chief inquisitor—
and "skidded" the wheels to show the condition

'First Control" in Merced Grove

50 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

of the brakes, we were duly numbered, given our
passports (after paying the fee of five dollars),
and permitted to enter by the only gate as the tele
phone in the first tent gave news of our departure
to the officials at "Second Control."

During this brief halt, an automobile party "reg
istering disgust and anger" retreated toward Hazel
Green, because one of the passengers was a little
pet dog, and "cats, dogs and traps'' were wisely
barred by rules intended for the protection of the
few wild animals still to be found in the lower end
of the Valley.

Another automobile owner, coming out from the
Valley, failed to make the First Control on schedule
time, and, being very warm and weary, tried to
coerce the sentries into opening the magic gate.
Finding these guardians of the place as immovable
as the Sequoias, he "registered" so much visible
and audible anger that the result was notice of per
petual banishment from the National Parks, — an
order revokable only upon proper application to
the Department of the Interior. After much par
ley, he was permitted to drive out. As we made
our entrance thru the gateway, we heard an ex
ultant shout: "Wait till we pass that line!! Then

TO-DAY 51

we'll be out of the United States and back in Cali-
for — ni-a! !!"

The next scene, — down, down, down steep and
winding grades of granite sand to the undescrib-
able Cascades and "Second Control," demanded
steady, careful work on the part of the chief actor,
who had little opportunity for enjoying the glorious
panorama.

At last we were on the floor of the Valley. El
Capitan looked kindly down upon us as we hastened
to the first garage set up in Yosemite, — a modern
automobile shop, with Upper Yosemite Fall in the
rear and about three thousand feet above.

Time for one of the Valley's artists to photo
graph us in our car, with Bridal Veil Fall for a
background, could not even be considered, and
Permit 37 was O. K'cl. and surrendered to the offi
cial at "Third Control,"- -Yosemite Station, well
within the scheduled time. The car was sent back
to the garage for "parking," and a horse-drawn
carryall finally gathered us up with other pas
sengers for Camp Curry, which proved to be very
close to the site of our camp of "Yesterday.11

To our left, toward majestic North Dome above
the wonderfully chiseled sculpture of the Royal
Arches. Far, far below gleamed the limpid, em-

52

ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

Upper Yosemite Fall

TO-DAY

53

erald-tinted waters of the Merced River, and on
its bank (so quickly shifted the kaleidoscopic
scenes of past and present) was — ungainly, faith
ful old Cassius, and the wagon, and the sack of
barley and bundle of hav that served as chair and

•/ ^

writing desk for my first letter from Yosemite,
twrenty years ago.

Only a scant hour's rest upon a comfortable bed,

North Dome and Regal Arches

54

ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

Half Dome in Thunder Storm

TO-DAY X")

—for the tent door opened out toward Half Dome,
in the gray haze of a passing thunder storm, which
soon reached the Camp. The tripod was hastily
set up beside the dining hall, and the camera's
shutter clicked in unison with the six o'clock din
ner bell.

After the storm, the evening was spent out-of-
doors, with pilgrims from our own and other lands,
while David Curry, Stentor of the Valley, told of

Mirror Lake

56 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

its origin and its many wonders. Glacier Point,
illuminated, rose high before our eyes ; and we
knew that, not very far away in the darkness still
lay — Mirror Lake, or — Galilee.

Next morning (Sunday) we climbed into our
car at Yosemite Station at six o'clock, drove thru
heavy mud on the Valley's floor, made our way up
the steep, sandy grades to surrender Permit 36 at
"First Control," returning via the Coulterville road
as far as Coulterville.

At this place, we relied upon the opinion given
by our Southern friend of Steven's Bar, made a
new turn, and descended the narrow, tortuous,
"up and down some" Moccasin Creek road, — a
new trail to us, but one oft traversed by the early
generation of miners. Great mounds of rock and
yellow earth bore testimony to the mining opera
tions of our friends of Second Garrote.

One more night's camp on the plains, great
weariness o'ertaking us where, twenty years be
fore, our balky "Colonel" had given such proof
of his evil disposition ; an early drive into Stockton,
and on Monday morning, September 1, our second
Yosemite journey — of 254 miles, — exclusive of the
side trip into Oakdale — came to an end.

TO-DAY

1914

57

Postscript : The rough, rocky way from Knight's
Ferry to Chinese Camp is now, by comparison, a
boulevard. A fine new 5 per cent grade to Priest's
Hotel winds around the hillside for seven miles on
the opposite side of the canon, from which the
passenger can see the old road and look down into
the little green valleys below, upon Munn's spring
house, the wayside shrine at Ferretti's, the Hughes'
place, and Cavagnaro's, — once Culbertson's, — rest

Ferrettis Pioneer Home. Hetch Hetchy Road Above

58 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

places all well-known to old-timers. Other new
roads are being constructed and the hard places
made easier. Still, we are rather glad we had to
work our way up the old Priest Hill, and glad to
know that motorists, too, may now enjoy the glori
ous view from i4O MY! Point.11

1919

Another Postscript: At the beginning of this
new era, the traveler by land needs only to follow
the numerous signs along the way. Week-end
visits to Yosemite are of common occurrence.
Automobile stages from Stockton make daily trips
there during the summer season.

On May 27 of this year, a wonderful ship of
the air glided safely down from its uncrowded
path in the blue sky, over the Delectable Moun
tains and into the Valley Beautiful.

FINIS.

And now for the
BIG ADVENTURE

The Partners

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY

(THE SEARCH FOR GOLD)

(Beginning 1849)

Nov. 26, 1901.

At the request of a Dear Friend, I write a few
things that have occurred by and between J. A.
Chaffee & J. P. Chamberlain since the year 1849.
On the 24 of Jan. of that year, we sailed from the
city of Boston in the Ship Capitol, with 250 pas
sengers, Monckton Proctor, Capt, who, by the
way, was a perfect gentleman, but had the usual
growlers that have been with most all vessels since
Noah entered the Ark.

Nothing remarkable occurred during a voyage
of 176 days to San Francisco, at which place we
arrived July 19.

We found a very great change from the staid
and steady habits of our New England home.
Here gambling w^as the prevailing amusement.
Men just returned from the mines would bet their
last dollar on the turn of a card. Suicides and
murders were of frequent occurrence.

62

ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

San Francisco and Yerba Buena Island in 1849

There were six of us Worcester boys in com
pany. Their names were, Mr. Patch and son, A.
E. Arnold, E. A. Putney, Chaffee and I. We had
a tent, and camped in Happy Valley, near where
the Palace Hotel is now. In the daytime, each one
struck out for himself. There was plenty of work
and wages high. Common laborers had from $5 to
$7 per day. Chaffee was a wheelwright, I was a
carpenter, and we worked at carpentering at $12
per day. And were well off, but didn't know it.

On the arrival of news from the mines, great
mining news would be posted and big nuggets ex
hibited. And finally \ve got the mining fever, and

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY 63

all six of us started for the mines, and took passage
in a sloop that was going to Stockton; and, after
the pleasant occupation of righting mosquitoes 3
days, landed in the Slough City, as Stockton was
called at that time. Upon our arrival, we cast
about for a good place to camp, desiring to find out
the best place to go.

It was just at this time an incident occurred that
was characteristic of the times. One night after
supper, ChafTee and I took a stroll to the water
front, where a prison brig was moored and pris
oners were confined for murder. While standing
there, a man tapped me on the shoulder, asking
my name. I told him. He said, "I want you/' lkl
guess you have made some mistake," said I. "You
love law and order,'' said he. "I do; but what do
you want?" He said, "Follow me and you will
find out." He led and I followed into the hold of
the prison brig, where a criminal was being
guarded. Placing a gun in my hands, he told me
to guard that man, & should he attempt to escape
to shoot him, or should an attempt at rescue be
made, to shoot them.

I took the gun and began my march up and
down the deck. Soon the prisoner began to get
uneasy and wanted to talk. I told him to keep

64 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

still, as I was a guard, not a lawyer. "You know
my instructions are to shoot, if you attempt to
escape, and I shall surely do it."

He then said he had a favor to ask. He owned
up that he was guilty, doubly guilty, of the crime
charged, but he had relatives back in the States
who were respectable people, and he did not want
them to know the fate that had overtaken him in
his criminal career. He then asked me to see the
Judge and ask him for three days' grace, which I
did, the request being readily granted. Some curi
osity was excited, to account for such a request,
and extra precautions were taken, in case (of) an
attempt to rescue him by his friends. Nothing of
the kind occurred, and on the passing of the fourth
day he was brought out and seated on a rude cof
fin in a cart, and slowly driven to a tree near by,
when a rope was thrown over a limb and a noose
placed over his head, when, with a strong pull on
the rope, the cart was driven from under him, and
his soul was launched into eternity.

This, to me, was a new trial and execution, but
as he was a self-confessed murderer, 1 thought it
just, and in accord with law and evidence. He
went by the name of Redhead Davis, and told me

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY 65

he belonged to a gang of desperadoes that thought
no more of murder than eating a meal.

After staying a week in Stockton, we concluded
to go to the Mokelumne River. A train of fifty
mules was going to Big Bar and we shipped our
freight by them. Before leaving Boston, we were
told that we had better take provisions, as they
might be scarce in the mines. We took beef, pork,
flour, and so forth, for which we had paid freight
to Stockton, and from there to the mines we had
to pay 25 cents per pound more; and, upon arriv
ing at the mines, we found we could buy the best
of fresh beef for 25 cents per pound, — showing a
foolish transaction of a wise foresight in a money
less transaction.

We landed at Big Bar in three days from Stock
ton, and the sight of at least 500 men rocking cra
dles in a most vigorous manner was almost stag
gering. If the cradles contained babies, their
brains would surely have been dashed out. This
was our first sight of gold mining in this land of
gold. We had shovels, picks, and pans, but no
cradle, and to buy one would cost $64, which was
beyond our pile. But we were Yankees, and set
our wits to work out a plan for a cradle. One of
our company had been a fish peddler at home and

66 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

had a chest 3 feet long-, 18 inches square, lined
with zinc. We cut the chest in halves, making-
two cradles in the form of a V, with a 3-inch strip
in the bottom, and with the zinc punched with
holes for a screen, for the gravel to pass off. We
could wash more dirt than the other miners, and,
I suppose, lost more gold; but we saved $8 per
day washing sand. We worked two or three days
and thought the pay too small.

And our first Sunday in the mine was spent in
cleaning up camp, getting wood, and so on, for
cooking.

The elder Mr. Patch was a man 65 years old,
and we told him if he would cook he should share
with us in the gold; and he very readily agreed
to that. When our camp duties were done, we
went to the grocery store to see the sights. Here
was a variety of occupations. The grocer was
busy selling goods, and the miners were card play
ing for amusement and money, with drinks, when
they were thirsty, but I didn't see a drunken man
during the day.

Monday morning, Arnold and I went up the
river about a mile with a pick, pan and shovel.
We came to an old Mexican, washing dirt in a
wooden bowl that would hold more dirt than our

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY 67

iron pan. At that point in the river was an eddy,
£, at short intervals, a big cave in the bank would
occur; and, to show how green I was, I put a pan
under the bank and broke off a pan of dirt and
washed it rapidly, & had a piece of gold worth one
dollar. I was not disappointed, so I tried another
pan of black loam, &, on washing the dirt away,
had a piece of gold weighing 8 pennyweights, at
80 cts. per pwt., was worth $6.40. The old Mexi
can was still washing his pan of dirt, and Arnold
and I struck for camp too quick, &, upon showing
our find to the boys, it didn't take long to get our
two cradles and tools and start for the new dig-
gins ; & our afternoon w^ork in black loam turned
out $32 gold. This muck hole had been worked
previously, I think by Capt. \Yeber, — of Stockton,
for the roots had been cut and the hole was filled
with loose material.

We worked 4 days & had $200. Then Mr. Put
ney started out to see what he could find, and
found an old river bed, high & dry & rich, but
most of it claimed. He finally secured one small
claim of 8 feet. At that time, mining camps were
governed by an Alcalde, and his law was supreme.
Any company paying him $16 could turn the river
at any point that was not claimed for that pur-

68 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

pose, & a company of very wise men got permis
sion to turn the river where we & others were at
work with our little claims. There were some 6
or 8 of these claims of 8 ft. each.

At the same time, parties were starting out by
moonlight for the forks of the river, some 10
miles above by river & 15 overland, that was sup
posed to be very rich. Arnold and I thought we
would try & find those parties, so we took up our
cradle, pick, shovel and blankets., 15 Ibs. salt pork
from Boston, which, by the way, was better than
any Calif, pork for frying, or (for) cooking beans,
and started on foot overland. The day was hot &
no trail, & we didn't know which was the right
ridge that would lead to the forks of the river; but
as good luck was with us, we took the right one
and landed at sundown at a big camp of our
former shipmates, with a man standing sentry with
a gun. We inquired the meaning of this. The
answer was, "Indians," and that we must spend
the night with them; but we were not imbued with
much fear of Indians. We went down the river
about a *4 of a mile, made a fire and tea, & toasted
pork on a stick, which we enjoyed with the keenest
relish; spread our blankets & slept like logs.

In the morning, after our superb repast of pork

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY 69

& sea-biscuits, we went up to see the boys. They
made a big mistake in landing here. They said
they only made $3 per day.

Arnold and I went down the river, over the
roughest kind of going, with our loads, & after
going what we called 4 miles, we saw a lone miner,
and I never was so glad to see a man before. He
proved to be one of our shipmates from Nantucket.
He had a brother that had gone to the Big Bar for
grub, and he soon came with the necessary article.
They told us they made an ounce a day — $16.

There. was no laws & we made laws to govern
that Bar. We called 40 foot front a claim, & A-
& I went to work, and in the afternoon we cleaned
up an ounce. We worked till Saturday noon and
our grub gave out, and we started for the Big-
Bar for a supply, with $200 for our 4 days work.
We were benighted on our way & stayed at a big-
Mexican camp over night. They treated us very
kindly & wouldn't take a cent.

Sunday morning we made our own camp, found
the boys growling with the prospect of being turned
out of their diggins. Monday morning we started
back with pork, beans, and sea biscuits. We found
our blankets & tools. As we left there, about the
middle of the week, we saw a train of mules a ziiz-

70 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

zagging down the hill on the opposite side of a
river, & turned out to be over 100 men from
Oregon.

They came into camp, inquired if we had laws.
We refer (r)ed them to a page torn from a pass
book that had our laws written in pencil, with 40
foot front. They liked the laws & said they would
support them.

Arnold & I worked till Sat. noon, and as our
grub was gone we quit, & thought we would try
the overland route home. We took our blankets,
thinking we might camp. The day was hot, and
the hill steep & dry & almost destitute of trees.
We found a little scrub oak about half way up.
The scrub was not big enough to fully shade both
of us. We threw our blankets down, mad, & then
ourselves on our blankets. We were so mad we
couldn't speak. And finally, after the bile was ex
hausted, Arnold said, "How do you like this min
ing business?" I told him I had seen enough of it
& was going to make a straight track to the Bay.
He said that was his fix. Then we felt better £
started for our camp right cheerfully & arrived
some time in the night. Found the boys stirred
up like a nest of hornets. They had been driven
from their claim by that thieving Co. that had a

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY

71

permit from the Alcalde. Our boys & the others
had excavated a hole 8 ft. wide & 2 or 3 ft. deep,
which made a fine canal for the river, when turned,
but they spent $1000. on their dam to turn the
river, and the floods came & tore their works away,
and they never got a cent.

We told the boys we were going to the Bay, and
Chaff ee & Putney said they would go, too. Mr.
Patch & son concluded to winter in the mines.
We had worked 26 days & had made clear eleven
dollars per day per man; & Monday morning we
took a team that was going to Stockton & in two
days landed in a town that was bustling. Plenty
of work. Carpenters got $12 per day. Buildings
were going up in all directions. Teams all were
busy.

Colton Hall, Monterey, First Capital of California

72 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

Being here informed that the State had formed
a constitution at Monterey, and located the Capitol
at San Jose, we thought San Jose would be a good
point for carpenters. We bought an old horse to
pack our outfit and started overland, via Liver-
more's pass.

The first night out was passed at French Camp,*
kept by a man that owned cows, & sold milk in
Stockton. He told us we would have a 25 mile
desert to cross, with no water fit to drink. So, in
the morning, after bidding our host goodbye, he
kindly gave each of us a bottle of milk, which we
fastened in the pack saddle. The day was warm,
& after awhile we became thirsty & unfastened a
bottle of milk to quench our thirst; when, ''presto,
change!" The motion of the horse & the hot sun
had soured the milk, &, as we had not learned to
drink sour milk, we foolishly threw it away, for
before night we would have been glad to have it to
drink.

On our way, we were all sadly fooled by the
deceptive mirage. We would see cities in the dis
tance with beautiful lakes of water, & would hurry
up the more to reach the much desired water, but

*E1 Rancho del Campo de los Franceses. The ranch of the
Camp of the Frenchmen.

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY 73

it kept just so far away. We finally met a traveller
that told us we would get no water fit to drink till
we got near Livermore's, 10 or 15 miles away.

We were in the home of the wild horse, and saw
bands of these wild mustangs playing together;
but when they saw us, they broke and ran, making
the ground tremble with their clatter.

Our old plug was so very slow that Chaffee &
Putney struck out for Livermore's, leaving Arnold.
I, & the old horse to get along the best we could.
The day was one of those brassy ones in Sept.
We had an umbrella in the pack that we took out
and hoisted. It was a great relief to us & an
object of curiosity to a band of some ISO or 200
little animals about the size of a goat. They ap
proached us cautiously, till they were quite close,
when a few flirts of the umbrella sent them off too
quick. Antelopes.

At length the sun left us & darkness was ap
proaching. We had no idea which was to go. I
was in favor of camping, but Arnold was quite a
horseman; said "we will let the horse go his way,
for very likely the horse knew every step of the
way between Stockton and San Jose," & he was
right, for, soon after midnight, he landed us safely

74 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

at Livermore's, where Chaffee & Put. had been
some 2 hours.

We soon had a little lunch & was ready for
sleep. Livermore gave us a bullock's hide apiece
to sleep on. It being an old Spanish ranch, with fleas
innumerable, sleep was out of the question, for
fleas were ravenous for Yankee gore, & they had
it to satiety; and when the day began to dawn, we
arose & went out to view the country, which is
beautiful.

This man Livermore was an English sailor that
married a native daughter some 20 years past, who
brought him leagues & leagues of land & thousands
of cattle & horses. They used to kill the cattle for
their hides and tallow, but now they sold them for
beef at $16 apiece.

We also had peaches and grapes by the quantity.
We had often heard of the excellence of the Cal.
grape, but had no idea it was such a lucious luxury
as it proved to be. He gave us all the peaches &
grapes we could eat for one dollar.

We lingered around this delightful place till
about noon, and should have staid longer or
started earlier, for this day we had 15 miles to go;
and, with the 2 mile gait of our horse, we failed
to reach the old Mission of San Jose till past mid-

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY 75

night. We camped in the street & took an early
start for the Capitol of Cal, San Jose. We had
another 15 mile drive, & were too late to find a
camping place, & put up at the City Hotel, with
meals $2, & spread our blankets on floor, $1.50.
Everything & everybody was booming; plenty of
work for carpenters at $12 per day, & we agreed
to work for a man at that price, but our tools were
in the City. And Monday morning, Oct. 1, 1849,
we start for the City to get our tools, and had the
exquisite pleasure of riding after wild horses that
were only 2 weeks from their native plains.

The first move in the operation was, driver & all
hands aboard; then 6 horses were handled by 12
nien, one to hitch & one to hold. The driver had
his lines all ready, & said, "Let them go!" & they
went on a keen run for 10 or 12 miles; then a
relay, & so on, till we reached the City.

We thought Stockton & San Jose were boom
towns, but they were baby booms compared with
this rampant, bustling city; & here is where we
should have staid instead of going to San Jose.
But "there is a destiny that shapes our ends, rough
hew them how we may." We had engaged to
work for a man in San Jose, & our word was as
good as our bond. The rains commenced the 6 of

76 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

Oct. that year, & every few days a fresh supply
from the clouds would appear, & 'twasn't long be
fore the roads were so bad it was nearly impos
sible to haul lumber, & carpenters had to stop work
for want of material.

We thought it a good idea to buy a lot & build
a house to sell or rent. We bought a 50 vara lot
for $1000 of James F. Reed & agreed to pay for
the lot in work at $12 per day. We also boarded
with Reed's family for $12 per week. This Mr.
Reed was one of the Donner Party, that, nearly
all of them, perished in the mountains in the win
ter of 1846. It was heart-rending to hear Mr.
Reed tell of sufferings they endured.

We bought lumber for $70 per 1000 feet, &
worked on our house when we could not get work
from others.

The 15 of Dec. the Legislature convened, with
nothing at all adequate for their convenience, &
still raining. The members were in a disgruntled
state at the accommodation prepared for them. In
fact, it was rain, mud, & madness that prevailed.
Several attempts were made to remove the Capitol
during the winter. Some wanted to remove back
to Monterey. Some wanted it in Frisco ; & General
Vallejo offered very liberal terms if they would

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY 77

move to Benicia, & the people of San Jose done
their utmost to keep it, & for the present it seemed
all right.

Chaffee & I managed to keep along just about
even during the winter, &, in the spring of '50, a
stage Co. wanted a station 12 miles from San Jose,
on the road to Frisco, & sent me to the city to buy
a house ready to put together & ship to Alviso. I
bought a building 14x30, \l/2 stories. Then the
question as to shipping to a point above Alviso to
the Santa Clara Landing. The steamer wouldn't
take the lumber, & finally I struck 2 men that
owned a sloop & agreed to take the lumber to the
Santa Clara Landing for $300. They said they
knew all about the way to get there, & started. I
was with them, of course, to see that all was deliv
ered at the proper place, but it proved our navi
gators were at fault. One thing, they were cau
tious, & went into every inlet on the south side
of the Bay. They got into one inlet, & the tide
left us high & dry, & (we) had to stay 24 hours to
get out ; but finally, after three days, we made the
landing, which was not rapid transit, for it was
only about 50 miles from the city.

Then we had a month's work putting the house
up. The place is now called Mountain View. Dur-

78 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

ing the summer of '50, Emigrants brought the
cholera into San Jose, but it was a mild type, so
no deaths occurred, that I know of. Chaffee had
it, &, in a western phrase, "It kept him powerful
weak" for a long time. The man & wife we
boarded with had (it) & both were sick in one
bed. They had a China cook, & I was nurse &
chambermaid. After awhile, the man & wife were
able to leave the bed, but were tottering about in
a weak state for some time. In the fall, Chaffee
was able to do a little work, & went to the stage
station to recuperate & do work enough to a little
more than pay for his board.

The winter of 50 & 51, the Legislature got an
extra mad on, & moved the whole business to
Vallejo. The breath of life had been barely per
ceptible for some time in San Jose, but this was
the bursting point. The Capitol moved around like
a restless dog; but finally settled in Sacramento.
We now were fully convinced that we made a fatal
mistake in locating here, & a greater mistake in
commencing a building on such an elaborate scale.
We had spent most of our means for materials &
were now stranded. We nailed up the doors &
windows & started for the mines, to recuperate.

On the 24 of March, 1851, an ox team was going

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY 79

to Stockton that kindly agreed to take our blankets
& cooking things. There were six of us forlorn
pilgrims, & our purses were as flat as if an ele
phant had stepped on them with his whole weight.

During our travel to Stockton, an incident oc
curred that came near being fatal to Caffee. We
were short of blankets. After crossing the San
Joaquin river, we made a field bed, & all six of
us bundled in, Chaffee on one side & I on the
other. In the night he lost his cover & thought
there should be some where I was. The ferryman
had a lot of dogs, & Chaffee tried to be as still as
possible & not to waken either dog or man; but,
C. stepping on a crackling stick, the dogs set up a
perfect dog Babel, & we were all awake & Chaffee
was at my head, which I took to be an Indian
after my scalp. I out (with a) 6 shooter & would
have shot if he had not told me not to. I knew
his voice, & desisted from being a murderer, so,
after having a good laugh all round, we arranged
the blankets & slept finely till morning.

When we entered Stockton it was raining, & the
adobe soil of those days made mud as sticky as
wax. We were looking for cheap quarters, &
finally saw a card on a window, "Room to rent,
25 cts. per day." We secured that room, spread

80 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

our blankets on the floor, got crackers & cheese
for grub, & were comparatively comfortable. The
next day it cleared off, & we saw a teamster load
ing for the mines & told him we would like for him
to take our dunnage along, but we were short of
cash. He said if we would help him with his
mules on the road, it would be all right.

The roads were heavy, but we made Swett's
Bar, on the Tuolumne river, on the first day of
April, 1851. Here two of our road partners left
us, with Swain & Gates for mining partners. We
take account of cash on hand, & find 50 cts. to
be the sum total. We get grub & mining tools &
commence fixing a place to roost. Timber is scarce
for a log cabin, & we dig in the sidehill till 6 ft,
deep, set up 8 ft. posts in front & run rafters back,
cover with boughs, then a foot of dirt, build a fire
place & chimney, make a field bed 8 ft. square, &
think we have quite a comfortable dugout.

Commence mining, & make $3 a day, & so keep
along till the middle of April. Then it commenced
raining, & kept it up for 3 days. Moist spots began
to appear in our roof, with now and then a little
mud dropping, till it came down by the basket full
—then we left. Chaffee & I crawled into an old
leaky tent, but the water was clean. Swain &

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY 81

Gates went into the store. It cleared off in the
night, & in the morning we began to repair dam
age, which took three days, then began mining
with better pay than before. It was now $5 per
day, & continued 2 weeks; then hot weather came
& the river rose so high we couldn't make much of
anything. Then the boys thought best to try &
find better pay, & left me to take care of the camp.

The second day, I thought I would cook up
something good for the boys when they came back.
I had cooked beans before but never had tried
pastry. Chaffee had been making biscuits all along.
I thought to have a change, & make a loaf of
raised bread & make at least one apple pie. Miners,
in those days, wanted beans 21 times a week; so I
picked over a mess of beans & set cooking. I also
started some dried apples for pie & sauce, then
commenced mixing bread for daugh & pie crust; &
was so absorbed in this delicate task that I forgot
to look at the beans. The water boiled away &
they burned. I took them from the fire & attended
the dough I had in hand, which consisted of flour
& water straight, & it didn't work to suit me.

I moved it to a warmer place to raise up a little,
then commenced a new lot of beans. The apple
was now cooked, & I cut off a piece of bread dough

82 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

for pie crust, rolled it out in the proper shape,
filled with apple & set baking in Dutch oven, &
when I thought it was cooked, took out, & it didn't
look bad; but my bread dough was full of cracks
on top, & it hadn't raised a particle. I wet my
hands & smoothed the loaf over as a mason would
smooth mortar with a trowel, & set it baking; &,
in a short time, my conceit began to weaken ; & if I
had thrown it away then I would have saved some
of my reputation; but it was my first loaf, & I was
in hopes it would turn out better than it looked.
The pie looked middling well, & I thought it was
all right. By & by the boys came, hungry, &
pitched into the beans, which were all right. The
bread they looked at with one eye, as a blue jay
would look at an acorn; but when it came to pie —
they knew more about that pie than I did. They
lifted the top cover as they would a pot lid; scooped
out the apple & returned the crust for another filling.
In regard to the bread I had made, I must admit
that, as an article of food, (it) was an entire fail
ure. It might have been a good foundation for an
emery wheel. I gave it a brisk roll down the hill
towards the river, & it kept its perpendicular as
long as I could see it, & if it reached the river, it
must be petrified long ago.

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY 83

After the boys got through with their sumptuous
repast of beans & the inside of a pie, they took
their pipes & were in a talking mood. They had
found splendid diggins at Chinese Camp, & we
prepared to move as quick as possible. Swain took
what he could on his mule. Chaffee & I took the
balance on a wheelbarrow. The distance to Chinese
was only 8 miles but the trail a most villainous
route, & took about 10 hours to make the trip; &
June 15, 1851, we landed in Chinese Camp.

This is a dry camp & water scarce & a very
important article. We pay $100 for a water privi
lege that now affords water to wash 400 buckets
of dirt. Sat. we hire a mule & cart & wash 300
buckets, & have $50, which is a great improve
ment in our finances. Monday, 16, we start bright
& early, with a hired team at $3, haul one mile, &
wash 400 buckets, & have $80.

June 18. The whole camp was aroused this
morning by the news of a man brutally murdered
within half mile of the Empire saloon, by Mexi
cans. He was a German named Charley Houk, &
was robbed of $500 that was with him. Parties
started in pursuit of the villainous scoundrels &
caught them at Hornitos & killed 2; the others
escaped.

84 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

Sat., June 22, we clean our gold, & find we have
taken, the past week, 30 oz., at $16 to the ounce
is $480, & we feel quite satisfied & hope it will
continue.

The week ending July 29, weather hot & dries
the water up fast. We have taken $425.

The week ending July 6( ?). We have not done
much the past week, owing to hot weather, & the
4th. we take account of our gold dust & find we
have cleared $1008 since the 15 of June.

Chaffee & I, having some unfinished business in
San Jose, & thinking that short settlements make
long friends, he thinks best for me to go down &
settle up, & Monday I take passage with Walker,
the teamster, for Stockton. We drove to the blue
tent & stop for the night, & while there, Swain
came up with his mule. He thought he would go
to San Jose & see if we couldn't get a team, & save
by having a team of our own.

Got into Stockton at 2 P. M. & took the boat for
the City, & arrived on the 9th. Fell in with Capt.
Ham, an old shipmate, that owned & was running
a schooner to Alviso. He insisted on my going up
with him. I was easily persuaded, & went. I paid
him $350 that we were owing his brother.

Arrived at Alviso at 6 A. M. I walked to Moun-

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY 85

tain View & staid over night with a man that was
owing us $229. I found him as usual, without
money, but full of very fair promises. He thought
he would have the money in 3 or 4 days. I then
went to San Jose. Found nothing new except a
gallows that had been recently erected for the bene
fit of horse thieves, murderers, &c. On the next
day was Friday, & quite a concourse of spectators
to witness the execution of a Mexican.

July 14, I started for the horse ranch to see
what I could do with my man. Found him still
without money, but said he had a plenty of horses
and would give me a bargain. I told him I knew
nothing about horses and would depend on his
word. He had a fine looking horse brought up
for my inspection. I asked the price of him. He
said he could sell him in the city for $225, but
would let me have him for $200. I liked the looks
of him. He was kind and gentle and I took him,
and changed the note to $29, hunted the tallest
fence I could to mount, and without saddle, and
a rope for a bridle, started off, proud of my bargain.

After going a short distance, I noticed he went
a little lame, and kept getting worse. I supposed
it was nothing serious, as he didn't show any lame-

86 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

ness when I started. I dismounted, and examined
his feet. I found nothing the matter with them.
I couldn't mount again without a high fence, so
I trudged along on foot into San Jose and there
met loafers at every corner, asking me what I was
doing with that three-legged horse, for he didn't
step on his off fore foot. Finally, a friend of mine
told me the horse had the sweeny and was incur
able. I was mad, and took his halter off and told
him to get, and he went home during the night,
and the next day the man came charging into
town and told me my horse came back. I told
him he could stay back, and I would not have
him at any rate; and, further, I would have him
arrested for swindling. He saw that I was in ear
nest, and offered to take him back and give me the
span he was driving for $150. I told him there
was only one way to settle, and that was, to give
me a new note of $229, which he did, with interest
at 3 per cent a month.

In the meantime, Swain had bought a wagon.
I went to a man I could trust and bought a mule,
and (we) soon rigged him out with harness and
were ready to start. This being Friday, there was
another hanging to come off, and after seeing that
we started with five passengers for Chinese Camp.

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY 87

On our way to the old Mission, we came to the
first toll bridge I had seen in the country. It was
a catchpenny affair with a little whiskey shanty
on one side. Fifty cents, the price. We soon con
vinced him he had met the wrong party. We took
the mules out of the wagon, led them across, then
pulled the wagon over and started on our way re
joicing, and so kept along till we landed in Chi
nese Camp.

July 22, found Chaffee and Gates well, but our
golden prospects not near as good as when we left.
The water had failed, so we couldn't wash much
dirt, and the dirt had diminished in value, so we
couldn't make over $5 per day; and, taking into
consideration that three or four months must pass
before we had rains to raise the springs, we
thought best to hunt other quarters; and, after
prospecting a part of the month of August for
better digging here, we make a start for Second
Garrote, twenty miles southeast of Chinese.

We pack our goods and chattels on our two
mules, and pass through Jacksonville, a very lively
camp, and up Moccasin Creek, and up, up, up, to
Big Oak Flat, named from a big and beautiful
oak tree that grew there. We stepped around it

88 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

and made 39 steps to 13 feet diameter, and as
perfect a tree as ever grew.

We pass along through First Garrote (from a
man that was garroted here), and September 4th,
1851, landed in what was and is called by the Eu
phonious name of Second Garrote. It had no rea
son to be called by that horrid name, for never a
man was hung here in the world. The Mexicans
called it San Ignacio. Winslow Hubbard was here
at the christening, and he tells us in his reminis
cences how it was named. James Shoto, a St..
Louis French (man) again made his appearance;
wanted to know the name of our camp. We told
him. He said, "I call it Second Garrote"; and it
is still Second Garrote, and no doubt will always
retain that name.

It is a beautiful little basin, surrounded by pine-
clad hills. The valley, at that time, was covered
with very large oak trees that have since fallen by
the woodman's axe. There is one standing on the
Yosemite road, near our home, that is unique from
its ugliness. They have a sign, "Hangman's Tree/'
nailed on ,to a limb.

September 8 and 9, Monday and Tuesday, fitted
up an old log cabin for winter. While we were

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY

89

"Hangman's Tree' in 1913

at work, a man came along, asked us if we wanted
a post office. We said "Yes." He said the postal
agent for the Pacific Coast was a friend of his,
and if we would give him a petition with thirty
names we would have an office inside of thirty

90 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

days; and sure enough, it was so. Garrote was
the name, and Micager Tucker was postmaster.
Oak Flat and Garrote (first) had to come here
for their mail. Oak Flat was very indignant, but
soon after had an office of their own. The office
was kept here till the spring of '52. No one here
would have the office and they moved the whole
business to what is now called Groveland (First
Garrote).

September 10 we begin mining, and find it a
different place altogether from Chinese. There,
gold is generally diffused among the soil; here,
it is generally a foot or so from bedrock, and in
some places ten or twelve feet to throw away, —
which makes much work for small pay. We have
worked four days and have taken $12.

The week ending September 14, we have sunk
five holes the past week that would average six
feet square and nine feet deep, and only one of
them paid anything, and that only paid $40.

The boys begin to growl about the diggins.
There is one thing that makes it pleasant to stay.
The Tuolumne river is full of big salmon. The
Indians bring them in and sell them cheap. I

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY 91

have seen them four feet long, that you could
buy for one dollar.

One night our mules were missing. We used
to feed them nights. They had never failed to
come home before, & the next day we gathered
a big posse to help hunt for them. An old Texas
Indian fighter commanded the expedition. We
were prepared & expected to have a fight, & I
must say, I felt kind of creepy about it. I was
well to the rear — a position I liked, because if a
retreat was ordered, I would be well advanced,
& would march in double quick time. It was like
a funeral march. Not a word was said above a
whisper. If I had (had) anything to give away,
I would have made my will. After awhile, we
saw two squaws gathering acorns in one of their
conical baskets. When they saw us they ran, &
we knew we were near their camp, which we found
in a few minutes, & consisted of these two squaws
& one very old man. Our Commander talked with
him. He asked where the braves were. The old
man said, "on the river, fishing." He asked them
about the mules. He said the chiefs had ridden
them to the river, then let them go.

Then our courage was big, & we thought we

92 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

>might find the mules; & in an hour or so we
found them & led them home; & this ended my
first & only Indian fight.

The week ending Sept. 21. We have been pros
pecting all the week & have found nothing that
we thought would pay.

The week ending Sept. 28. We made up our
minds we would leave this place. We had some
things to dispose of. I went to an Italian that
had always been friendly. I told him we were
about to leave, & would like to sell a few things
we had. He said, "What for you go?" I said,
"Poor pay." "No, you no go. I show you good
claim, pay $8 per day;" & he showed' a ravine
close by, & we commenced panning & found, with
water, we could make $8 per day, & commenced
throwing out dirt, to wash when the rains came.

Oct. 8 Chaffee found a nugget that weighed
7.70. This would pay for a number of buckets;
& the next day Chaffee found another piece of 5.90.

The week ending Oct. 12. We have thrown out
dirt all the week, till yesterday we prospected an
other ravine that will pay as well as this, — & no
water.

The week ending Oct. 19. We are still throw-

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY 93

ing out dirt. Rec'd San Jose papers & a letter
from Sister, which is very acceptable, as I haven't
heard from home in a long time.

The week ending Oct. 26. We must now try
to make something to live on, as our funds are
nearly gone. Monday, Swain started for Stock
ton to ranch our mules & to buy our winter stock
of provisions. Gates & I commenced a hole in a
new place. Tuesday, we got down. It being 12
ft. deep, this has paid us better than any we have
dug. We took out $75 in a space of 10 ft. square.
We then sank 4 holes close by, but none of them
paid.

The week ending Nov. 2. Swain came back
Monday. Gates & I have been sinking holes in
different places, but none paid. Chaffee has been
getting out lumber for toms.

The week ending Nov. 9, Monday. I com
menced a hole in a new place, on a ridge leading
from Slap Jack ravine. It was hard digging. I
had 2 ft. of cemented gravel, nearly 'as hard as
rock. Tuesday, Chaffee took hold with me.' We
got $4 fine, & one piece of $2.30; which induced
us to think there was more near by. We extended
our hole 10 ft. in length, which took till Saturday

94 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

to get down. We found one piece of 11.50 & $4
in fine gold. Swain & Gates have been washing
with rocker & made $5 apiece. Sat. it commenced
to rain, & at night rained quite hard. High wind.

The week ending Nov. 16. Mon., Tues., &
Wedn. ChafYee worked making toms. Splitting
lumber out of logs is slow work. Swain, Gates &
self have been panning & done very well.

The week ending Dec. 7. The past 2 weeks
we haven't done much. Swain killed & brought
in a deer, which was an acceptable change in our
bill of fare. News came of a man being horribly
chawed up by a bear. The same bear killed an
Indian the same time.

The year ending Dec. 31, 1851. Were it not
for the castle building & dazzling hopes that haunt
the gold hunter, he would give up in despair. For
2 weeks we watched the clouds as they passed
over, hoping they would let out enough to wash
our dirt; & finally the spell was broken. 23, it
rained in torrents, — in fact, it rained so hard we
were glad to keep the house.

24. It still rained, but we couldn't see the pre
cious fluid pass unheeded any longer. We started
2 toms, & at night had $40, which, with the clos-

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY 95

ing days of the month, we had $137. As the
water had run down so we could only run one torn,
it was thought best to divide our force, & Thurs
day, Jan. 1, 1852, Chaffee & I commenced moving
over the hill, 3 miles distant. It was over a rough
country, & no trail, & a torn 10 ft. long, mining
tools, grub, & so on, we packed by hand & foot
power. We find it a hard road to travel. I pack
the loads we have to pack. We put up our 'tent
& commence fireplace & chimneys.

Friday, Jan. 2, finished our camp. Sat., had a
hard day's work moving over. We have made 3
trips, equal to 18 miles.

The week ending Jan. 11. The Fates are against
us. When we came over here, we expected to
have plenty of water, but it hasn't rained since we
have been here, & our partners at Garrote are no
better off; & all we can do now is to watch &
wait for more water.

The week ending Feb. 1, 1852. It is now 4
weeks that we have been camping here waiting
for water, just barely making expenses. For a
week at a time we see no one, & we have come to
the conclusion to go back to Garrote & wait there
till we have water to work here. So we pack our

96 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

blankets, & leave tools here, to work when we
have water.

The week ending Feb. 8. Swain found a loose
quartz rock about 3 ft. long, & would average
about 18 inches in the middle. It was rich in gold,
& within 10 ft. of our cabin. We broke it up
into pieces from the size of a man's fist to the
size of a man's head, & it showed gold all through
it. We were not looking for quartz & was not
excited over it at all. Gates & I sank a shaft at
that point 25 ft. deep. We once in a while saw a
little gold, but not much. The rock became tight
& hard picking, & we quit. At the same time,
made with a rocker, $20.

Swain was laid up with a cut on his knee, & at
this time, Dec. 2, 1851, Dr. Roberts is sinking a
double compartment shaft, including our old shaft.

The week ending Feb. 15, 1852, all 4 of ous have
been placer mining & have made $30.

The week ending Feb. 22, Wm. Wyat joined us
in a claim on Second Gar rote creek. We had 3
ft. of water to bail, & I made a pump to keep the
water so we could work the claim. We took $46.

The week ending Feb. 29. We have washed out
5 ounces ; an ounce apiece, the past week.

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY 97

The week ending Mar. 9. Our claim has pe
tered out, for we only took 5.70. Wednesday it
commenced raining & kept it up till Saturday, then
held up, & Chaffee & I shouldered our blankets &
cooking utensils & started for our ravine over the
hill. Chaffee and I took out 95.75, & picked our
dirt, & Swain & Gates & an Indian washed dirt
that was thrown out, & had $140.

The week ending Mar. 21. All 4 of us have
taken $164 & have washed all the dirt we had
thrown up. Our partners, Swain & Gates, take
their departure for Rattlesnake creek, & Chaffee
& I think of leaving the mines & of going to Jim-
town & start a wheelwright shop; but finally
bought 4 men out of a claim on the main creek
for $63.

The week ending April 4. Weather inclement.
We took out during the week, $75; & the week
ending April 11, we had $100, which is really
good. April 18, $66. April 25, $110. Wednes
day, I picked up a $40 nugget. To-day, we clean
our gold, & have 345.50 for our first 26 days work
on the claim we bought for $63. The week end
ing May 2, we took $65.

May 9. Spring is here with all its beauty.

98 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

Birds are happy & so are we, for we have taken
$70 of bullion.

The week ending May 23, — $80 is this week's
showing. ChafTee was the lucky one this time,
for he found a beautiful nugget. The week end
ing May 30, — $80 is the figure for this week. The
week ending June 6, — the water is failing fast.
There is not enough now to run a torn, & no one
throwing out dirt to wash when we have water.
The week ending July 11, — we washed 65 buckets
of dirt & had $24, which is good pay.

July 15. We start for San Jose to have a little
rest. We walk 26 miles & stop at Irving House,
this side of Knight's Ferry. 16, — take passage
with a teamster for Stockton, & at 4 P. M. take
the steamer American Eagle for the City. 18, —
Sunday, attend church on the Plaza & in the
streets. July 19. Came across our old firiend
Arnold. He is keeping a livery stable, & with
one of his best teams, takes us all over the City,
& orders as good a dinner as Barnum's Hotel can
afford. We enjoy his kind hospitality very much.

July 20. — We take the steamer Archer Roy for
Alviso, thence, by stage, (go) to San Jose, which
is still dull; & 3 days lets us out on visiting &

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY 99

we go to City by stage, thence by steamer Kate
Kearny to Stockton. She ran aground, & the
American Eagle was 12 hours pulling us off.

From Stockton we take stage for Chinese Camp,
then walk to Steven's Bar & stop for the night.
The next day we finish our journey to Second
Garrote, which we find nearly deserted. They
have mostly gone to the rivers, where they can
get water to work with. We have been throwing
out dirt, which is disagreeable business.

Now I will skip along through the hot, dry sum
mer, to Sept. 19.

I have been throwing out dirt, Chaffee has been
washing with a cradle & washed out $82, which
is decidedly the best dirt we have found in this
place. The week ending Oct. 10. We arejhrow-
ing out dirt & have washed out $25. The week
ending Oct. 22, — we are still throwing out dirt.

Yesterday I was agreeably surprised to meet
Geo. H. Pratt, an old acquaintance from Worces
ter, Mass. We sold him a third interest in our
claims for $150. We fix up our log cabin & pre
pare for winter. In 2 or 3 days after Pratt came,
one of his fellow passengers came along & took
a vacant cabin not 10 ft. from ours. He com
plained of being sick. He had some fever, &

100 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

wanted I should bleed him, which I tried to do;
&, at the sight of blood, he fainted away.

Our nearest Dr. lived in Oak Flat. I went for
him, as soon as I could go, on foot. The Dr.
wanted to know how the man appeared. I told
him he complained of pains all over him & had a
high fever. The Dr. said it might be smallpox.
He came to see him & called it smallpox, & as I
was in for it, I might as well tend him during his
illness.

It was a mild case, but no one caught the dis
ease; but our friend Pratt was very much fright
ened. Our neighbors, & tramps, gave us a wide
berth during his illness, & when it was all over,
Pratt, Chaffee & I, commenced throwing out dirt,
to wash when we had water.

We picked our ground & found pay enough for
expenses; & so we keep along till Christmas, &
24 inches of snow fell that day, & went off with
a warm rain. And then we had more water than
we could handle; we had to hire men at $5 per day.

The heavy rains setting in so early rendered the
roads impassable, & the merchants had failed to
get in provisions. The consequence was, high
prices for goods, — flour 60 cts. per pound & every
thing in proportion.

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY 101

Pratt, Chaffee & one man was washing dirt that
was thrown up in summer. Another man & I was
washing dirt from the little gulch the Italian told
me of, & it came up to the standard. The other
ground was spotted, & between the high price of
labor & grub we didn't make much, but kept along
till March; then we discharged our men. We sup
posed there was a lead of gold above us that hadn't
been found, & our work during the winter was to
cut it off. We now had it cut off, except about SO
feet, & we dug 3 holes, 12 or IS ft. long & 3 ft.
wide, & about 7 ft. deep. Chaffee's hole was in
the middle, & he struck the lead.

We now had 200 feet of tail race to dig, 7 ft.
deep. As good luck would have it, we had a big
rain, & we commanded all the water at the head
of Second Garrote Creek & commenced ground-
sluicing our tail race, 5 ft. wide. We worked
steady for 24 hrs. & finished the race. We rested
2 days, then hired 2 Irishmen, at $4.50 a day, to
throw off 5 ft. of dirt, & the first half day had $32.

The week ending April 10. We have taken $162.

The week ending April 17. Our lead is crooked,
& we have only taken $60.

The week ending April 24, have taken $348.

The week ending May 1st, have taken $170.

102 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

The week ending May 8, have taken $250. Pratt
went to Sonora. On his way back, bought 2 cows.
Paid $150 for them.

The week ending May 15, only take $91.

The week ending May 22, have taken $367.

The week ending May 29, have taken $218. I
found a nugget worth $72.

The week ending June 5, only have $33.

The week ending June 12, $100.

The week ending June 19, $140.

The water has failed. We discharge our men &
give up washing for the season, & June 26, 1853,
Chaffee & I start for San Jose, to see what the
prospects are in that burg. We walk 20 miles &
stop at Shoemakes.( ?) We were disappointed in
getting a seat out of 3 stages, & finally take pas
sage in a team; go to Blue Cottage & stay over
night. 28, take one of the stages, & it whirled us
into Stockton in a hurry. At 4 P. M., take steamer
American Eagle for the City.

July 1, go to San Jose via Alviso. Found the
place improving; everybody busy. The week end
ing July 10. — After a week's survey, we think it a
good idea to finish our house. The week ending
— July 17, — have spent the past week in getting
materials to finish the house. Wednesdav, went to

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY 103

the City; & Chaffee went to the mines to prospect
for another gold mine.

The week ending July 24. — I worked for J. F.
Reed, 5 days, at $6 per day. San Jose, week end
ing Aug. 7, 1853. — I have worked on the house all
the week.

An awful tragedy has occurred here the past
week between Edward & Thomas Pyle & Dunham
& Whitlock. Tom Pyle was instantly killed, leav
ing a wife & family to mourn his loss. Edward
Pyle was seriously wounded. Dunham was
wounded in the thigh. Whitlock escaped harm.

The week ending Aug. 14. — I have worked all
the week on our house. Here I will skip over to
Sept. 25. This quiet city was confused last Mon
day morning, in consequence of a man being mur
dered the night before. He was a stranger, in the
employ of Mr. Mar., threshing grain. The cause
of his murder none can tell.

2 other murders have been committed near this
place. The state of society is getting as bad as (in)
the memorable days of '50 & '51. A committee of
Vigilance have organized themselves & are deter
mined to put a stop to such high handed crime. I
worked for Cotrill 3 days.

The week ending Oct. 23.— I have worked all

104 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

the week hanging doors. Woodnutt finished plas
tering, making 544 yards, for which we pay him
$544. The house is all finished, & cost $7500. A
man came along, — inquired the price. I told him
$6000. He offered $4000. It was no sale.

I have earned at carpentry up to Dec. 5, $213.
At this date there is not much demand for car
penters, &, the 12th, take the stage for Gilroy,
which is 30 miles south of San Jose. At 9 P. M.,
I arrive at J. B. Allen's, & accept of his hospitality,
to stop with him as long as I like. I stayed one
day, & we agree on the price of some work he
wants done, & I go to San Jose for my tools, &
came back the 17, & went to work for Mr. Allen
the 20th.

J. D. Davis & I signed a contract to build a
church, 24x30, 14 ft. studding, for $500.

Jan. 7, 1854. — In our agreement, the church
folks were to have materials on the ground by the
first of the month, & at this date there is not a
stick in sight, & I receive a letter from Chaffee
stating that he & Pratt had found something good,
& I had better come quick & share with them the
pleasure of taking it out.

Jan. 10, I start for Frisco, & G. W. Warren goes
along to see what he can find. We land at the City

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY 105

Hotel in Sonora the 11, & the 12 start for Garrote,
by way of Ward's Ferry, on foot, & pack our
blankets. It commenced raining, & we became
water-logged at Deer Flat, & stayed over night.
The 13, start for Garrote No. 2, drenched with
rain. We found Chaflee & Pratt well & our min
ing prospects good. 14. — Warren & I keep still,
to recuperate.

Jan. 20, 1854. The past week has been stormy,
& now there is 12 inches of snow on the ground &
very cold. 22, — cloudy, with prospect of another
storm; but we cannot stay in the house longer, &
work a short time, — have $45. 23. — All three of
us worked & had $67. We worked as long as we
could see, & Chaffee wanted to try a pan where I
was at work, & had $36, &, in 5 days, up to 28th.,
had $122.25. The week ending Feb. 5, 1854.— We
have taken out of the claim, $405, & now she has
gone back on us, & Pratt, Chaflee & I dig in every
direction & can find no trace of the old jade.

Feb. 19.— I propose to Chaffee to go with me to
Gilroy, & maybe the church folks have got some
lumber on hand & we will build that church. We
sell all right, title, & interest to G. R. Pratt for
'$50 & start for the lower country, packing blan
kets, via Pacheco's Pass. We have two reasons

106 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

for taking this course to San Jose. The princi
pal one is to see the country.

In 2 days we reach Hill's Ferry, on the San
Joaquin. Feb. 21. — We stay at the Ferry, then
have a chance to ride 12 miles to Brown & Baker's
ranch. 23. — It rains so hard we lay over till the
23, then walk 8 miles to Ogden's ranch & inquire
the distance to Pacheco's ranch. They tell us 25
or 30 miles, & on our way (we) come across an
old grizzly. We are not anxious to make his ac
quaintance; pass along, & as he seems willing to
let us alone, we most cordially reciprocate.

After traveling some 15 miles from Ogden's,
we reach the Pacheco Creek, which at this time is
running boldly, & have to ford the creek 4 times;
& finally select an island, to camp, build up a rous
ing fire, & turn in as hungry as wolves, as we have
had nothing to eat since morning.

We start bright & early for Pacheco's Ranch,
some 8 miles distant, where we find a lot of Greas
ers playing Monte on a bullock's hide. We tell
them we are hungry & want something to eat.
They say, "Poco tempo."

One of them starts to make a fire. We wait
awhile longer & tell them to hurry up.

One of them says, "Poco tempo."

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY 107

After waiting 2 hours, we get some Spanish
slapjacks thin as wafers & dry as chips, & some
black, muddy coffee. We then travel some 10
miles to J. B. Allen's, Gilroy.

The second reason for coming this way was,
we didn't know but they had lumber for the
church; but they couldn't raise the means, & gave
up the church. We stay at J. B. Allen's all night,
& he takes us to San Jose.

Feb. 25, at 3 P. M. — We now have a house of
our own & soon equip for boarding ourselves. Get
a cook stove & provisions. From Garrote 155
miles & on foot 112 miles. (?) And now we will
sing the chorus of "Stay at home, boys, stay."

The first news we heard of was, that Akenhead,
County Treasurer, had decamped with $7000
county money. The next thing is, that Merrit &
Brothers had made a complete success in boring
the first Artesian well in this county. They went
down 80 ft. & struck a stream of flowing water
that would make a miner smile, if he could con
trol it in the dry diggins.

This is the commencement of a new era in the
Santa Clara valley, & Meyers, Sheppard & Yontz
have bored 2 others, & either of them is 4 times as
strong as Merrit & Brothers.

108 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

The week ending March 5, 1854.— Chaff ee & I
have been resting after our jaunt from the mines
on foot & in the floods of Pacheco Creek. We
have leased our house to Dr. G. B. Crane, at $40
per month in advance.

The week ending March 12, 1854. We have
worked all the week, fixing up about the house. A
most brutal murder in this vicinity. An American
lady was most inhumanly butchered, while her hus
band was in town. Her throat was cut from ear
to ear. The party committing this brutal act is
unknown.

April 2. — We have been painting house. Fri
day, took a ride with Dr. Crane to Gilroy. Tues
day, the murderer of Mrs. Mills was brought into
town by a Greaser that had shot him for insulting
his wife. It was thought the deceased was the
actual murderer of Mrs. Mills, & on these grounds,
the Greaser was acquitted.

May 21.- — We have worked 69 days apiece for
Jake Pyle, at $6 per day, $414.

We have received intelligence the past week of
the declaration of war between Russia & Turkey,
France & England.

June 14. — We commenced work for Morgan
Schroeder, doing the woodwork of a house 48x29,

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY 109

2 stories, with a porch all round, by the day, at $6
per day.

The week ending July 9. — We have worked 5
days each. The glorious Fourth we spent with the
crowd, & (it) has passed off very well.

July 16. — Hot weather has prevailed, the mer
cury running from 90° to 104° in (the) shade. De
structive fires have occurred in Frisco, Sacramento,
& Columbia.

July 25. — Yester morn, on our way to work, we
saw a man hung by the neck to the limb of a tree.
Supposed to be the work of Vigilantes.

Aug. 6. — Another brutal murder has been com
mitted. A Spanish woman & 2 children were the
victims. As present, no trace of the criminals.

Mercury going up 106° & 108°.

Received of Morgan Schroeder $500, which we
let Julian Hanks have for a year, interest 3 per cent
per month.

Sept. 17. — Artesian wells seem to be all the rage.
Cotrell succeeded in getting one of the finest
streams in the county by boring 64 ft.

Oct. 15. — Finished work for Shroeder, & our
wages amount to $1042.

Another murder. A woman & 3 children were
killed at the crossing of the Salinas river.

110 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

During the past summer, we have been collect
ing materials for a first-class mining fever, & at
this date, Nov. 19, was the culminating point & we
start for the mines again. If we knew when we
were well off we would stay here, but we must
learn it all over again. The 20, we start for
Frisco on the old land route; & 4 P. M. take the
Walhanet( ?) for Sacramento. 22, — take the stage
for Sonora, via Mokelumne Hill, & arrive about
sundown. 23, — Take stage, pass through San An
dreas, Curson (must be "Burson"), Rob(inson's)
Ferry, Soldier's Gulch, Shaw's Flat, & arrive in
Sonora at half past 4, & stop at City Hotel.

25, — We start for Garrote No. 2, & arrive at
4 P. M.

Dec. 5, 1854,— This camp is plum(b) full of
men waiting for water. In coming from Sonora,
we left our blankets at Kincaid's Flat, & Monday
I went with a donkey to get them. We board with
Harry Kraft, & prospect around for 3 weeks.
Where we wish to work is claimed by other parties,
& we move to Moccasin Creek with our blankets,
about one mile above Culbertson's. We get some
cloth to fix up a kind of tent; have a fireplace &
chimney; get some lumber from Oak Flat to make
a torn, & get a Chinaman to pack it down; make a

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY 111

torn & go to work, but the wages are light. The
fact is, dirt is scarce. It is all rocks. If we could
get the same prospects in Garrote we get here, we
could make $10 a day.

We have nothing to read, & spend our evenings
at the grocery store, kept by George Johnson. The
miners gather in here & tell what they have made,
which ranges from 75 cts. to a dollar a day. We
don't brag about our wages.

The week ending Feb. 4. — We have worked with
a torn all the week and have $23. 2 days ago we
received a letter from Dr. Crane. He says times
are dull in San Jose. To-day, I received a big
bundle of papers from father.

The week ending Feb. 25, 1855. — Great excite
ment in the city by the failure of Page, Bacon, &
Co., & of Adams & Co., & the Bankers generally
closed their doors. We are still at work, making
a dollar or two a day.

The week ending March 18. — We have worked
here for 3 months & have $134, & conclude we will
go back to our old stamping ground, 2nd Garrote.

The week ending Mar. 25. — Have been fixing a
place to try making a start, &c.

The week ending April 8.— For the past 2 weeks

112 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

we have made $76. From April 24 to August 26,
4 months, we only take $275.

We have received several letters from Dr. Crane
of San Jose during that time. He says times^ are
very dull, & many failures have occurred. The
times were so hard, he had to find a place with
cheaper rent, but would still act as our agent.

Aug. 26, 1855. — Now we are up to the founda
tion of Bret Harte's Story of Tennessee's Partner,
& from now on, our mining operations take a dif
ferent color.

On the other side of the Tuolumne River, quite
an excitement has existed in regard to an ancient
river bed that has been found. Is called the gravel
range; & evidently the same range exists on this
side of the river. It has been traced some 5 miles
from Kanaka to above Hamilton's. A company is
formed here of 17 men, Chaffee & I included.
ChafTee & I work through the winter of '55 & '56.
We have faith in it & want more money, & we
write to Dr. Crane to sell our property in San Jose
for what he can get, &, March 5, 1856, we receive
a letter from the Dr. stating he had sold the prop
erty for $2100 to J. B. Price; & we go to San Jose,
make out the papers, receive our cash, & come
back.

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY 113

In the meantime, we find the gravel range a
little too heavy for our purse. The company had
divided before the scarcity of cash. The new Co.
was called the Pioneers, with 9 men, as follows:
Fred & Frank Stocking, R. & L. Thomas, J. Cour-
ly(?), Ben Dudley, G. R. Pratt, & Chaffee & I.
We kept together 2 months & found we had bitten
off more than we could chew, & disbanded. The
claim & tools were put up at a rafBe, the winner to
furnish an oyster supper, & April 13, 1856, was
the time. The place was over in the Slapjack coun
try, near Fred Stocking's house.

Chaffee & Mrs. Stocking just spread themselves
on the occasion. Mrs. Stocking done the pastry
part, & Chaffee done what he could to help her in
other ways.

We had a glorious time, under a spreading oak
tree with the virgin leaves just putting out. It
was a time never to be forgotten. Mr. and Mrs.
Stocking are now in the City & have raised a large
family.

The week ending May 26, 1856.— The past has
been an exciting week in San Francisco. The 14,
James King of Wm. was shot by James P. Casey
in broad daylight, for an article that appeared in
the Evening Bulletin. And the people, not having

Il4 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

much confidence in the civil authorities, formed
themselves into a Vigilante committee, & Sunday
took Cory & Casey from the jail & conveyed them
to the committee rooms on Sacramento St., & they
were hung in front of the committee rooms.

The Vigilance Committee of San Francisco are
making a clean sweep of shoulder strikers, ballot
box stuffers, & other bad characters that have been
gnawing at the vitals of California ever since she
was a state.

I received two letters from home; one from sis
ter, and one from Brother Edwin.

We have commenced a house for Pratt, 12x24,
with wings on each side for bedrooms.

The week ending June 29, 1856. — We com
menced a house & shop, 18x30, \l/2 stories high.
We intend to work at carpentering (&) wheel
wright work.

The week ending July 13. — We have made up
our minds to try another speculation. A party has
applied to us to put in a wheel & pump for them
on the river, & take an interest in the claim for
pay. The claim has never been tested. The claim
adjoining above paid well last year, & we have
every reason to think ours will pay as well.

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY 115

Aug. 10. — I went down the river to put in a
wheel & pump for Mc.Grath.

Aug. 17. — I worked Sl/2 days on wheel, then
went down the river some 4 miles, where Chaffee
was at work. Wheels & pumps are being put in
at every available point on the river.

Aug. 23. — I finished my job for Ned McGrath.
About noon, started the pump, & it worked fine,
throwing the water out of the hole in about an
hour. Another party has applied to me to do a
similar job for them up the river about a mile. I
worked for Stoltze(?) 9 days, & try the pump.
It don't go quick enough to take out the water, &
I put in a counter shaft to gain speed, & then the
pump worked fine. I worked 14 days at $6 a day.
They gave me a note payable in 60 days.

The week ending Sept. 21. — I have been doing
small jobs on the river at $6 per day. Yesterday
I came to Garrote.

The week ending Sept. 28,— I went to Blythe's
store, on the river. I found Chaffee & the boys
on the point of pulling out, for the season. That
was unfortunate as a speculation, for we were out
$200, besides Chaffee's labor.

So it goes, with a seesaw motion, up & down.
Sometimes we think we have a fortune within our

116 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

grasp; then it will disappear like a Jack o'lantern
in a meadow.

HOW BRET HARTE GOT THE FOUNDA
TION FOR HIS STORY

This is the substance of the information as to
the story in which the partners figured, as added
by Mr. Chamberlain: In 1868, Bret Harte, whose
unique tales of the mines had been enthusiastically
welcomed, cast about for material for a new story
that he had in mind. From a former mining part
ner of theirs, then living in San Francisco, he
learned of an occurrence of the year 1855 — a fiend
ish crime committed by a man who was pursued,
arrested in Chinese Camp, brought back and tried
by "Judge Lynch." He admitted his guilt, was
taken out at night and would doubtless have been
lynched on the spot by the crowd of angry men,
had not Mr. Chaffee, whose regard for law and
order was well-known, succeeded in persuading
them to turn the wretched fellow over to the civil
authorities for trial.

The account of this crime and trial, and the de
scription of the place and of the beautiful comrade
ship of our "David and Jonathan/' served Bret

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY 117

Harte (who never met the two men or saw their
home) as the foundation for his pathetic and pic
turesque story of "Tennessee's Partner."

Several years after its publication, Mr. Chaffee
visited the "City" and was soon located and inter
viewed by an enterprising newspaper woman. A
copy of the interview was brought to Mr. Cham
berlain. As the latter tells it, "I was anxious to
see who Tennessee was, and sent to the City for a
little book of Bret Harte's novels, and was not at
all flattered with the character Bret Harte gave

me."

Into the sunset of the earth-life of this quaint
old couple came a young friend, who found in
their chats about the past far more of interest than
fiction writers had gleaned.

"Please, please try to write what you have told
me and I will copy it, so it may be preserved," was
the urgent request.

The one addressed modestly demurred: "They
were only every-day occurrences;" and he could
not write in "literary style," was his answer. At
last the "please, please try" was rewarded, and for
friendship's sake, old account books and diaries,—
aids to the remarkable memory of the two men,
were gathered together, and in the long winter

118 ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

months the trembling old fingers painstakingly pen
ciled the true story of the "Partners" in the land
of "Once-upon-a-time."

But the query, "What about the things that hap
pened after 1856?" was dismissed with a final
"That is really all. Since then, there has been
nothing of consequence."

"THE SOUL OF JONATHAN WAS KNIT
WITH THE SOUL OF DAVID"

The Partners had selected for their final resting
place a peaceful little spot on the beautiful hill-
side overlooking their home; but once more their
plans were over-ruled. At the age of eighty, Jason
A. Chaffee gave a last earthly hand-clasp to his
lifelong comrade, and, following a surgical opera
tion in a distant hospital, "crossed the Great Di
vide."

James P. Chamberlain, eighty-three years old,
also failing in health and bereft of his companion,
would accept but little of the kindly ministrations
of his neighbors. "I had one Partner," was his
answer to their offers of "someone to stay with"

DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY 119

and help him; "I will never have another."

Alone, practically helpless and penniless and in
intense physical pain he mourned for his friend.
One morning he brought out his one weapon, an
old army musket, and seating himself outside the
door of his lonely house, "Tennessee" went to find
his "Partner."

The kind neighbors buried his body in the little
cemetery near the town. A friend, Mr. Charles
H. Burden, the undertaker of Sonora, read the
burial service, — and the only music was the gentle,
pitying voice of the soft breeze sighing through
the tops of the tall pines.

POSTLUDE

And time speeds on, and others will travel in
the paths of the Pioneers and tell their stories in
simple, homely chat or in language of eloquent
beauty; and they, in turn, may become new pio
neers.

I have seen a small cedar growing from the
crumbling trunk of the long-since fallen Father
of the Forest in the Calaveras Grove, a different
tree, yet none the less wonderful. And we know
that in both these, as in the tiny for-get-me-not
down in the foothills, is a seed-thought of the

120

ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA

Creator, visibly expressed for us to read. In the
soul of mankind and in the tree and the flower we
can find it.

With questioning eyes we look up to the Sequoia,
the pine and the cedar, and, like little children,
kneel close to the earth to gather the for-get-
me-not.

For "The Greatest of These" is in and about
them all.

Sequoia Gigantea
Cone

"The Greatest of These Is Love"

ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA
Notes

ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA
Notes

ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA
Notes

ADVENTURING IN CALIFORNIA
Notes

14 DAY USE

RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED

LOAN DEPT.

This book is due on the last date stamped below,
or on the date to which renewed. Renewals only:

Tel. No. 642-3405

Renewals may be made 4 days prior to date due.
books are subject to immediate recall.

DECl 1975 MAY 2 2 '97

MAR 2 3 1977 ' 1

JUNO 9 1998

m

MOV 1 4 1984

LD21A-20m-3,'73
(Q8677slO)476-A-31

General Library

University of California

Berkeley

THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY