The Call of Gold
Illustrations
Introduction
An Indian Wilderness
Arrival of Gold Seekers and Establishment of the County
Arrival of John C. Frémont
First Settlers’ Own Stories
The Beginnings of Hornitos and Coulterville
War With Indians
Discovery of Yosemite
The Mint and the Early Mining Code
Early-Day Justice
Lost Gold, Amusements, and Hotel Rules
Frémont and Savage Visit
Mining Experiences of Lafayette H. Bunnell
Eventful Years of 1854 & 1855
The First Newspaper Description of Yosemite
Galen Clark, Outstanding Citizen
Frémont’s Political and Mining Activities
The Famous Trial of 1857 in Mariposa’s Courthouse
Judge Burke’s Decision and Sidelights of the Trial
Battle of the Pine Tree
Bear Valley and the Colonel
Final Judgment for Frémont
The First White Woman in Bear Valley
Autobiography of John S. Diltz
Mariposa Around 1859
Gazette News, 1862 to 1870
Frémont’s Great Sale
Mismanagement by Wall Street
Frémont’s Later Career
John Muir, World-Famous Naturalist
Diltz, a Real Benefactor
John Hite, Millionaire Miner
Angevine Reynolds and his Writings
Hi-Lights Around Coulterville
Color Around Hornitos
The Town With the Holy Name
Indian Anecdotes
Mariposa Al
The Pioneer Spirit
Reunion of Old-Timers
The Miners’ Ten Commandments
View of Yosemite Valley from the Wawona Road
Tent town of Agua Fria in 1849
John C. Frémont
Water-powered quartz mill
Main Street in old Hornitos
River-bed mining
Lafayette H, Bunnell
“The Yosemite Flyer”
Mariposa County Courthouse
Mariposa in 1854
Mt. Ophir mine and mill
Hutchings' Hotel
Hutchings' cabin in Yosemite Valley
Galen Clark
Galen Clark and Julius Boysen
Frémont Tramway in Hells Hollow
Benton Mills
Frémont's cottage in Bear Valley
Mt. Ophir mine at Norwegian Gulch
The Oso House at Bear Valley in 1858
Dear Ma . . . Your loving son
Bear Valley in 1860
Captain John S. Diltz
“Rock” Greeley and his logging team
David Clark's home and sawmill
Indian Gulch store
“Quartz” Johnson
John Muir
Three of the boys
John Hite
Angevine Reynolds
John Gilmore entering Mariposa with his team, 1879
Jeffrey Hotel in Coulterville
Coulterville in the 19th century
Hornitos hotel
Reeb's butcher shop, Hornitos
Judas being burned at the stake in Hornitos
Mrs. Merck of Hornitos
Tunnel Tree in the Mariposa Grove
Entrance to the Mariposa Road in Yosemite Valley
[The following is the modified Prologue of the first edition of this book, published in 1936.]
The mountain and hill area west of Yosemite
National Park is in Mariposa County,
the locale of some of the early gold discoveries of 1848 and 1849. Many of those
who travel through this domain little realize the romance, tragedy, and comedy that
occurred here, and the places of historical interest that still exist on or in close
proximity
the present-day highway, state route 140.
This region, on the gold road to Yosemite,
experienced many events similar to those in
other parts of the great Mother Lode gold-bearing belt, but in addition it was the scene
of other episodes unique to the area: famous legal battles; the Indian War that resulted
in the discovery of Yosemite Valley; the later discovery of the Mariposa Grove of Big
Trees;
and the roles played by such noted early California figures as John C. Frémont, James D.
Savage,
James M. Hutchings, and John Muir.
By first becoming acquainted with the historical
role played by Mariposa citizens and
Mariposa gold in the development of our state and nation, Yosemite travelers can then
visit the mines, the old landmarks, the old towns, and visualize the rich associations
bequeathed us by Califonia pioneers.
The historical mining districts on the gold road
to Yosemite are adjacent to the All-Year Highway,
which starts at Merced and runs easterly for sixteen miles before reaching the Mariposa
County line.
Crossing the highway at this point is the famous old Millerton road, which in the early
days was the
main artery of travel between Stockton and Los Angeles. It followed the edge of the
eastern foothills
because the route was nearer to the mines, and because the river crossings were much
easier than in
the level plains below.
From the county line you begin to climb gently
through rolling hills. At first the country is
practically treeless as you pass through the shallow slate formation, which in places
protrudes
from the ground in fantastic shapes. Soon the soil becomes a little deeper. Scrub oaks
appear,
and then varieties of pines as you fain elevation.
In about nine miles you are in Catheys Valley,
named for Andrew Cathey, a native of North Carolina,
who settled here about 1850. You soon begin to climb the Guadalupe Mountains, and just
after
passing the summit you enter the famous Frémont Grant. You will be on the grant until you
are
near the summit four miles beyond Mariposa.
After entering the grant, in about three miles
you cross Agua Fria Creek. Half a mile farther on,
the road to Mount Bullion goes off to the left, and in half a mile on that road is the
site of the
town of Agua Fria, once a thickly populated community. The first courthouse was here,
while
about two miles downstream (south) on the Yaqui Gulch Road is Guadalupe Valley where in
1854 Captain John S. Diltz erected the first self-feeding ore stamp mill in California.
After passing the next summit, just as you catch
sight of Mariposa, you will notice over to the
right in the distance the ruins of an old mill near Quartz Gulch, where in 1849 the first
steam
quartz mill in California was erected.
The chinaberry trees on the main street of
Mariposa were planted by Chinese in the early days.
The historic Mariposa County Courthouse was built in 1854, accepted by the county on
February 12, 1855, and the first official business transacted therein was on May 8, 1855.
It has been continuously occupied since that time. In it one can find the old newspapers
that were used to a great extent in compiling this history. The old courtroom, scene of
many
legal battles, has the same judge’s bench, tables, and chairs that were used in
pioneer times.
The clock in the tower was installed in 1866. The old Mariposa Gazette building, which
used
to be across the street from the courthouse, was moved to the county fairgrounds in
January 1949,
and is now the John L. Dexter Museum.
The Mother Lode Highway, state route 49, turns
left at the post office toward Mount Bullion,
Bear Valley, and Coulterville. The Frémont Grant extends from Mariposa to Bagby, on the
Merced River. A few miles beyond Mount Bullion are the ruins of the Mt. Ophir Mint, the
first
authorized mint in California. A few miles beyond Bear Valley you will find a modern
quartz mill
in operation, crushing out gold from the Pine Tree and Josephine veins. This is convincing
proof that the early miners did not get all the gold, and that wealth awaits practical
miners who
have the courage and capital to go to greater depths than was possible for the pioneers,
who had
inadequate machinery and really only scratched the surface.
From Mount Bullion or Bear Valley a most
interesting trip can be made to the historic town
of Hornitos, where one may find many reminders of the days when California was young:
the plaza, where the early miners gathered for their fiestas; the one-story Masonic Hall,
built
in 1854; the Fandango Hall in the basement of the Campodonico building, where Joaquin
Murieta,
in his many disguises, danced on the flagstone floor; the Ghirardelli building, where the
world-famous chcoolate maker made his start in 1858; the old Wells Fargo Express Co.
building,
erected in 1854; the Gagliardo and Cavagnaro pioneer stores, still being operated by
hospitable
descendants; the little stone jail, with its iron door and two one-foot-square windows;
the beloved
church on the hill, with its interesting cemetery; the old hotel, where many U.S.
presidents were
entertained; and Dead Man’s Alley, where many a miner was killed and robbed of his
gold dust.
A few miles southeast of Hornitos is Indian
Gulch, probably a little older than Hornitos and with
a similar colorful history. Here may be seen the old Solari store, built in 1850 by
Charles Murray,
in an excellent state of preservation, and the old blacksmith shop, where real masters of
iron
formerly presided and where some of their handiwork can still be seen. Blacksmiths made
branding
irons for the pioneer cattlemen, and the designs have burned into the wooden frame of the
shop’s door.
The shop is still owned by the Solari family. The appreciative and worthy descendants are
preserving
the valuable historic heritage left in trust to them.
As you continue toward Yosemite from Mariposa, on
the left looms the bulk of Bullion Mountain,
named by Frémont in 1850 for his father-in-law, Senator Thomas Hart Benton
(1782–1858) of Missouri.
Benton had acquired the nickname "Old Bullion" because he was a strong advocate
of hard money—
gold and silver—rather than paper currency.
At about five miles from Mariposa, on the left,
is the well-preserved residence of David Clark,
built in 1864. Another one and one-half miles brings you to Midpines, a former mining
center
close to the rich mining districts of Sherlocks Creek, Saxon Creek, Sweetwater Creek,
Feliciana
Mountain, and others. At Midpines is a monument showing the exact size of one hundred
million
dollars of gold, which is approximately the amount of gold mined in Mariposa County during
its first fifty years.
Fifteen miles beyond Midpines, where the All-Year
Highway crosses the South Fork of the Merced River,
is the site of James D. Savage’s 1849 trading post. A few miles up the South Fork is
Hite Cove, where
John R. Hite found the mine that made him a millionaire. The historical rumor has it that
Ten-ie-ya,
the famous Yosemite Indian chief, was buried here after he was killed in a fight with the
Mono Indians in 1853.
Twelve more miles brings you to the boundary of
Yosemite National Park. Let your thoughts now
take flight back to the scenes and events of the years 1849 to 1899. These fifty years
following the
1848 discovery of gold in California will now be illuminated by extracts from newspapers
of the time
and from the letters, writings, and stories of pioneer Mariposans. Some of them are true,
some of them
are embellished, and no doubt some are the mythology of an era writ large in the
nation’s history—The Call of Gold.