Looking for information about Mary SULLIVAN (b. 1843, Sydney, Australia) and Mattias "Mott" RIEHM (b. 1836, Illinois), who married in San Francisco about 1868. Mary came to California in late 1849 or early 1850 with her family from Australia aboard the ship "Maria." Mary Sullivan's father was James SULLIVAN (b. 1814, Ireland); one of her sisters was the actress Maggie MOORE (born Margaret Virginia SULLIVAN, July 10, 1851, in San Francisco). Mott's date of arrival in Califronia is uncertain. By 1875 they had moved to Virginia City, NV. Mary died in 1884 and Mott in the 1920s. Joann Betschart mailto:[email protected] Details: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Bluffs/4646

A good description of a difficult sail around South America is in the journals of Afred R. DOTEN. He sailed out of Plymouth, Mass. on the barque _Yeoman_, manned by members of the Pilgrim Mining Co., March 18, 1849, and didn't arrived in San Francisco till Oct. 2 -- 198 days, which was an extraordinarily long passage. Makes for fascinating reading. It should be available at most libraries. BTW, if anyone wants lookups in these journals, I'll be happy to do it -- my mom's family spent several generations in Virginia City and Gold Hill, which is why my grandfather bought the books in the first place. He was in the Motherlode above Stockton till 1855, when he got caught in a cave-in at Fort John. He then moved to San Francisco, where he saw some of the vigilante activity, then on to Mountain View and Milpitas till 1865, when he went to Virginia City. His journals are quite candid (he used to tally how many times he had sex with his wife) and very interesting. If anyone's interested, I'll transcribe some of what he wrote relating to the Gold Rush. Joann Betschart mailto:[email protected] Details: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Bluffs/4646

We all seem to have our favorite places to look for additional info. Nancy Howard did a great job in her presentation on Last Chance, but I just had to see what my friend "Melvyl" at UC Berkeley's Bancroft Library had to say about Rusk (no entries were found) and Last Chance. There were 20 entries for Last Chance, and wouldn't it be neat to see the Day Book, #2 below. I omitted those entries which clearly (to me anyway) did not refer to a place. Hope this proves of some help. Best wishes, Cindy 2. .Bardwell, John Milton, d.1892. Day book of saloon in Last Chance, Placer County, June 16 [1859]-Sept. 17, 1860, and day bookof grocery store in Last Chance, June 2-Nov. 5 [1866] Last Chance, Calif., 1866. 1 v.(unpaged) 31x12cm 3.California. Justice Court (Last Chance). Dockets of Justices E.H. Snyder, John Hyland, J.L. Robertson, Matthew Jansen, and A.J. Bishop :, ms., 1859 Mar. 27-1872 May 31. [106] p. ; 31 cm. [Long Display] (UCB) 4.MAP. Gibbon, James. Plat of placer mining claims on part of Last Chance Creek : in the Klondike Mining Division of the Yukon Territory, James Gibbon. Ottawa : Surveyor General's Office, 1900. Scale [1:4,800] col. map ; 54 x 78 cm. [Long Display] (UCB) 5.Gillette, Gary H.. Jualpa Mine Camp of the Alaska Juneau Gold Mining Company : Last Chance Basin Historic District, Juneau, Alaska /, prepared by Gary H. Gillette, historical architect and City and Borough of Juneau, Alaska, Department of Community Development ; Murray Walsh, director. Juneau, Alaska : The Department, [1990] v, 64 p. : ill. ; 28 cm. [Long Display] (UCB) 9.MAP. Hileman, Dale. Hileman's gem, mineral & 4-wheel drive map of Last Chance Canyon, Kern Co., Calif., with Mesquite Canyon and Iron Canyon. 2d ed. [Los Angeles] c1968. col. map 40 x 42 cm. fold. to 22 x 11 cm. Series title: Map no. 1 [Long Display] (UCLA) 10.DISSERTATION. Hill, Robert L.. Geology and geochemistry of El Capitan Mercury mine, Last Chance Range, Inyo County, California. 1972. xiii, 144 l. illus. (5 maps in pocket) 28 cm. [Long Display] (UCLA) 11.MAP. Last Chance and Dago Hill. [1907?] Scale [1:2,400] 1 map ; on sheet 68 x 82 cm. [Long Display] (UCB) 12.MAP. Last Chance Mine : Humbolt [sic] Nev. [191-?] Scale [1:600]; 1" = 50' 1 map : ms. ; 26 x 51 cm. [Long Display] (UCB) 14.McCarthy, Max R., 1919-. The Last Chance Canal Company /, Max R. McCarthy. Provo, Utah : Brigham Young University, Charles Redd Center for Western Studies, c1987. ix, 131 p. : ill. ; 23 cm. Series title: Charles Redd monographs in western history ; no. 16. [Long Display] (All, All UC, UCB, UCD+circ status, UCD, UCI+circ status, UCI, UCLA, UCR, UCSB, UCSD+circ status, UCSD) 15.DISSERTATION. McCoard, David Craig. Structure of the Last Chance thrust in the Last Chance Range, California. 1970. viii, 108 l. illus. (4 plates in pocket) [Long Display] (UCLA)16.Merritt, Richard L.. From the quarries of Last Chance Gulch by William C. Campbell -- Index .../, Richard L. Merritt. San Francisco, Calif. : R. L. Merritt, 1980. 48 leaves ; 21 cm. [Long Display] (All, All UC, UCB, CSL) 17.MAP. Ogier, W. T.. Topography of Dago Hill and Last Chance, W.T. Ogier. 1907. Scale [1:2,400] ; 1 in. = 200 ft. 1 map ; on sheet 70 x 97 cm. [Long Display] (UCB)18.Rimbey, Carl. Analysis of irrigation in the Last Chance Creek Water District /, by Carl Rimbey [et al.]. Quincy, Calif. : University of California, Agricultural Extension Service, 1960. 10 leaves ; 28 cm. [Long Display] (UCB) 19.Rimbey, Carl. Analysis of irrigation in the Last Chance Creek Water District /, by Carl Rimbey [et al.]. Revised January 1962. Quincy, Calif. : University of California, Agricultural Extension Service, 1960. 12 leaves ; 28 cm. [Long Display] (UCB) 20.Wearin, Otha Donner, 1903-. Johnny Heinold's First and Last Chance saloon [n.p., 1974] 68 p. illus. 25cm. [Long Display] (CSL)Mercury mine, Last Chance Range, Inyo County, California. 1972. xiii, 144 l. illus. (5 maps in pocket) 28 cm. [Long Display] (UCLA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Howdy, With our overland emigrant "jumping-off-places" to CA pretty much completed, I thought you GoldRushList folks might like to see a couple of my postings of the Sea Routes to CA during the goldrush era. I previously posted them on a couple of lists - before your list [I think/hope:-)] was birthed. Here is my first one: SAILING AROUND THE HORN IN 1849 "Howdy, With the news of the California Gold discovery sweeping the nation, vast numbers in 1849, especially from the New England States, chose to sail into the Pacific around the tip of South America. At the time, most cargoes bound for California, except high-duty freight, came by way of Cape Horn. Even with such a difficult passage, China traders, whalers and Bostonians in the hide- and-tallow trade had used the Cape as their traditional means of reaching the Pacific. Lieutenant Matthew Fontain MAURY, by his current chartering work, made navigating Cape Horn, with its firece storms and strong currents, easier by providing a "road map" for the less experienced sailing masters. The journals, diaries, letters and logbooks kept by the Gold Rush fleet show little variance in the thirteen thousand mile plus Cape Horn route. The vessels departing from an Eastern seaboard port would follow the coast into the Gulf Stream. Then striking out into the Atlantic, many vessels even sighted African shores or the Cape Verde Islands to get the trade winds. Also, some "of their spars were even dusted by a scirocco wind from the Sahara." After the run back across the Atlantic, most vessels put in at Rio de Janeiro where the ships replenished stores, stocked up on liquor and fresh fruit, and allowed the sea-weary passengers to tour the city. After Rio, the ships could go either by Cape Horn, or the narrow Straits of Magellan. With either, they battled Antartic gales, often driving back many a struggling westbound vessel who was in sight of the rock of Diego Ramirez or Cape Horn. When the battered vessels finally reached the Pacific, they generally stopped at a Chilean or Peruvian port, usually Valparaiso or Callao. Often, they paused at Juan Fernandez Island, probably better known as Robinson CRUSOE's island. Leaving the South American coast, they made well out into the Pacific where they were often becalmed. Tacking east for the California coast, and making landfall, they often felt their way up the coast in heavy fog to the Golden Gate, dropping anchor in the soft mud off San Francisco. Statistics scare me. But sometimes they do furnish perspective - if nothing else. Reportedly, between 1848 and December 1849, at least 762 vessels cleared North American ports for California. In the east, New York was the most active in the Gold Rush with some 214 clearing for California in 1849 alone. Next busiest was Boston with an estimated 153. Major followings were New Bedford with 42, Baltimore - 38 clearances, New Orleans had 32, and 31 for Philadelphia. Even the southern ports of Mobile, Savannah, Norfolk and Richmond cleared vessels for San Francisco in 1849. The Cape Horn voyages for California-bound ships, barks, brigs, schooners,.a smattering of steamers, and many thousands of passengers were a short lived phenomenon, lasting only through 1850. While the number of California voyages did not decrease, cargo replaced passengers - due primarily to the Panama or Nicaragua routes becoming an easier ways for a person to travel to and from the Pacific. To show the rarity of passengers in large numbers by way of Cape Horn by July of 1852, the "Daily Alta California" proclaimed the arrival of the ship GOVERNOR MASON, 124 days out of New York with 108 passengers, with this: "This is the largest number of passengers that has arrived in one ship by way of Cape Horn, in many months. It recalls the days of early emigration of California, when a Cape Horn passage was the most comfortable trip to the gold mines." Apparently, in three short years, the saga of sailing to California via Cape Horn had become "the good old days" of the booming gold rush.(Compiled - but mostly from Delgado's "To California by Sea")." :As I asked when first posting, Don't you know all those tall ships looked purty? :-) Bob Norris in Dallas <BNorris166aol.com>

Hi, Nancy, Thanks so much for looking in the possible Rusk-related Last Chance Gulches. I figured there would be more than one since there were a lot of men always just about ready to give up "after one more try." I got the impression from my grandmother that her father, Wm. Rusk , and his friends named the place Last Chance Gulch themselves. (But I do kinda like the story of one-eyed Moore!) What do you think about whether this place could have been in Montana? Was there gold prospecting going on there in the early to mid 1860's? (he left GA in 1859 and was gone for even years) Otherwise, why would he be building a log cabin in what would become Helena? Maybe I should try to find the Montana mailing list. Thanks for the info. I'll keep it for further reference. You certainly were kind to go to so much trouble. Suzanne _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]

Hi Suzanne, I checked the Getty Museum Thesaurus of Geographic Names (TGN) and found many places in the world with the names of Last Chance. Eliminating the out of California and out of the gold mining areas, considering the time frame and checking in several reference books, I have two possibilities for you to consider in your search for William Henry RUSK. From Paul D. Morrison, "Placer Gold Deposits of the Sierra Nevada"; Gem Guides Publishing Co.., Baldwin Park, CA, 1997: Placer County: Last Chance--Location-This extensive placer-mining district is in eastern Placer County in the vicinity of the old mining camp Last Chance, 10 miles northeast of Michigan Bluff and 15 miles southeast of Forest Hill. It includes the the "diggings" here and at Star Town, Deadwood, and American Hill. Last Chance got its name when a starving miner used his last bullet to kill a deer. The mines in the district were operated almost steadily from the early 1850's until about 1920. In Hoover, Rensch and Abeloe, "Historic Spots in California", Stanford University Press, 1966, I found the following cites: Placer County: Last Chance-- The search for treasure had led a little group of prospectors into this remote region in 1850. Several rich deposits discovered in the vicinity caused them to linger until all the provisions were gone and starvation threatened. One of the company possessed a good rifle. Saying to his companions, "This is our last chance to make a grub-stake," he went into the forest and returned with a large buck. Thus the miners were able to return to their diggings and a new camp earned its name. This at least is one of several versions of the origin of this name. Plumas County: Last Chance-- ...valleys along the Feather River...American, Indian, Big Meadows, Buck's, Humbug, Mohawk, Genesee, Sierra, Long, Red Clover, Round, Last Chance, and Onion. Onion Valley-- Here a member of the party, known as "One-Eyed Moore" discovered rich diggings and a camp was at once set up. Other discoveries were made, and soon the region was swarming with diggings: Dixon's Creek, Poorman's Creek, Nelson's Creek, Sawpit Flat, and many others....to the west was one of the several places in Plumas County called Last Chance. Hopefully, one of these leads will 'pan out'...please post back to the List if you find more information. Nancy Howard _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com

Looking for info re my g-grandfather, WILLIAM HENRY RUSK. According to family lore, at age 22, he left north GA in 1859 to prospect for gold in the west with three other young men and one older man named (James?) COWAN. These four Georgians were gone for quite a while and were about to give up when they decided to try their luck one more time at a place named "Last Chance Gulch." I don't know if they named it this or not or where it was. They struck it rich!! In fact, on his way back to GA, he was just about arrested in towns in the west because he had so much gold in his saddlebags on his way to the mint in Denver. Also, the lore states that he and his four friends built the first log cabin in what would later become Helena, Montana. William Rusk returned to GA to marry the girl who had waited to marry him. I don't know if the others stayed or not, but I don't think so, because a large portrait of this Cowan gentleman, complete with a LONG, white beard always hung in my grandparents' home. The picture had belonged to William Henry Rusk, and it must have been taken after the trip was over for Cowan to be so white-haired. Has anyone ever heard of a specific "Last Chance Gulch"? How about knowledge of the founding of Helena by some GA men? Wouldn't he had to have found all this gold in California and just been coming back to GA to be in Montana? Or, could he have found this gold in Montana? Surely would appreciate any help with tracing his steps. Suzanne in Atlanta _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]

Howdy, I have previously posted Missouri and Arkansas river jumping-off-places for the overland CA goldrush emigrants. Not far behind in early popularity, were various Texas gateways, which lacked the concentration of the others, and varied more.. First, let me roll the credits: Ralph P. BIEBER's "Southern Trails to California in 1849(Philly:Porcupine Press,1974)"contains a mass of information on these TX trails, including references to copious newspaper articles. As an elaboration, I include bits and pieces from 49er "William Perkins Journal..." edited by Morgan & Scobie, Benjamin B. Harris''"The Texas Argonauts & the CA Gold Rush,"edited by Richard Dillon, and thanks to CindyLadyBug,"The Gold Rush Diary of William P.Huff(copyrighted property of David Ewing Stewart). It appears that early on, the all-water Cape Horn, the water-land routes by Panama, and the northern overland trails were the most popular. But the escalating cost of sea travel and the mess in crossing the Isthmus soon swayed some eastern newspapers, especially. to reconsider, and for a time to recommend the routes from Texas and Arkansas. For a little more info, let's start with Southern Trails editor Ralph B. Bieber: "Texas energetically advertised two main groups of routes. One of these groups included the trails extending from Brownsville, Corpus Christi, and San Antonio to the lower Rio Grande, and thence either soutwest to the Mexcian port of Mazatlan or northwest by a way of Chihuahua and the Gila River.. Another group embraced trails.[basically theDeep Southern Trail]. from San Antonio to the Gila river, proceeding either through Presidio del Norte[Presidio,TX] and Chihuahua or through El Paso del Norte[Ciudad Juarex,MX] and New Mexico. It was argued that these routes, on account of the mild climate[:-))))maybe spring-not summer] of Texas, would permit the emigrant to make an early start and hence bring him to the mines before those who took a more northern course...." Beiber continues: "...Texas was the starting point for the first overland migration[ Jan.] to California in 1849. Early in that year emigrants from at least 20 states began to assemble at Brownsville, Corpus Christi, San Antonio, Austin, Fredericksburg, and in the vacinity of Dallas[:-)]. These towns soon experienced such boom times as had not been seen since the early days of the Mexican war. They were highly elated at the prospect of being placed on the main highway of travel from the East to California and some of them had visions of becoming great and prosperous cities. For the time being they were very active in welcoming the emigrants, in suggesting to them the best routes to follow, and in furnishing them with needed supplies for the overland journey. The ONLY thing to mar this otherwise cordial reception was a severe outbreak of cholera, which swept through the whole country in 1849, reaching Texas in the latter part of February of that year. The worst attacks appear to have been at Brownsville, Laredo, and San Antonio, where the epidemic raged for many weeks." Folks, minute route descriptions would unduly elongate this posting, which is basically to name the embarkation points. But I would like to interject entries from various of my 49er diarists/journalists. Let's start with 49er/diarist William PERKINs( we haven't heard from him before, but I suspect we will again:-))).Perkins left New Orleans on February 28, 1849 for Chargres(Panama). But a leaky ship forced his return to NO where a few days later he took the steamship GLOBE for Brazos in TX. Let's join him: "At the Brazos we purchased a wagon and six mules for the conveyance of our goods, and a horse for each, the horses costing from ten to fifty dollars. At Fort Brown[Brownsville?] we were obliged to purchase an additional wagon and four mules. I tried to persuade them to sell the wagons and mules, and proceed on horses, but without effect."(Note:To CA, they traveled across MX through Reynosa, Monterey, Saltillo, and Durango to Mazatlan on the Pactic. >From there to SF on the Danish schooner, JOHANNA & OLLUFFA - arriving on June 9th.) Cindy LoBug's 49er/diarist William HUFF writes: "I left the town of Richmond[just W of Houston], Fort Bend County, Texas on the 22nd day of April, A.D. 1849, having as an outfit a good four mule team and a good wagon, a strong serviceable American horse and everything in the way of provisions, cooking utensils, and blankets that would conduce or give comfort and plenty so as render the long tedious journey before me as easy and agreeable as possible. Nothing occured worthy of note during our travel to the city of Austin. Having learned at the city of Austin that the United States train[another story:-)] under the command of Gen. WORTH would not take up its line of march for several days, and that all of the California emigrants had left Fredericksburg[TX] some two or three weeks previously, no other alternative was left but to wait patiently..."(Complex travels across TX and part of NM.After layover at Socorro,NM, he took the deep Southern Trail to CA.) Let's close with one of our ole 49er/diarist friends, Benjamin B. HARRIS[remember the Indian boy 'Little Reub" story:-)] who opens his journal/diary with: "I formed one of a horseback party, each with at least one pack mule, that left Panola County, Texas[far east Texas -bordering Louisiana]. on March 25, 1849...for the then military post about 20 miles west of Dallas, Texas, called Johnson Station, which was understood to be the rallying point of a mountain pack-mule overland company destined for California."[Note:Subsequently, he crossed TX to El Paso, took deep Southern Route to Tucson, and then down the Gila to Uma.] "With but little adventure, traveling through slightly broken, fertile timber and prairie country with embryo farms and sparse infant settlements, and passing a camp of serveral hundreds of friendly Creek Indians then on a hunting visit to Texas, we reached DALLAS, Texas, having then a population of less than 300, many of whose men were dressed 'a la' Indian in frontier buckskin SUITS":-))) Sorry about that - had to leave the best trail for last:-)), Bob Norris in Dallas <BNorris166aol.com>

Hello! We are preparing a manuscript regarding the "goldrush" banking house of "Page, Bacon and Company" (who operated circa 1849-1855 in St. Louis, San Francisco, Sacramento, Sonoma, New York, London, etc.). We would appreciate any about any information folks might have about this interesting organization, including, but not limited to: 1. Anecdotal stories; 2. Genealogies for Senior Proprietor Daniel Dearborn Page (b. 5 Mar 1790; d. 1865); 3. Background/Genealogy for Henry Douglas Bacon; 4. Info. concerning S. F. bank operatives Henry Haight and Judge David Chambers; 5. Printed accounts of the bank's failure circa February, 1855; 6. Involvement of lawyer Abraham Lincoln in "Page, Bacon...." litigation (ca.1856); 7. Existing collections of "Page, Bacon..." ephemera (eg: Bank Drafts, etc.). Please contact us directly if we can provide you with more details. We anticipate publishing and posting our preliminary manuscript early next year. Thank you, in advance, for your kind assistance David Winslow Page [email protected] (757) 259-5934 fax

Dear Listers: Received word that one of my long-time Nevada County researchers and look-up specialists has suffered a very serious illness, and has had to withdraw her services indefinately. Is there anyone on this list who owns the following book, and is willing to do look-ups under the USGenWeb Lookup Rules and NGS Copyright rules? The book in question is: "History of Nevada County With Illustrations," by Thompson & West, 1880, (Repro by Howell-North Books, Berkeley CA, 1970) - or any version of this book. If willing and able, your name and email address will be posted to the Nevada County GenWeb Research Sources and Lookup Page: http://www.compuology.com/cagenweb/nevadlok.htm Please review all of the Nevada Co CAGenWeb pages to see if there is a way you'd like to help those searching for early roots in Nevada County. Thank you! PatriciaJ <[email protected]> Rootsweb Sponsor CAGenWeb Coordinator, Nevada,Sierra,Yuba Counties

Dear Carolyn: Thanks for your information. I have a link to the Malakoff site on my county web pages, but haven't gotten that familiar with it's information. :) Gotta do better! Thanks for the reminder about them. PatriciaJ <[email protected]> Carolyn Feroben wrote: > > Fiddletown changed its name to Oleta in 1878 and back to Fiddletown in > 1932. Information from the Malakoff site. > > The Malakoff site has some great gold camp histories of the Highway 49 > communities: > http://www.malakoff.com/goldcountry.htm > > Carolyn > > E_or_P_Rowell wrote: > > > <snipped...>

Thank you, Nancy. This is exactly what I am looking for to pass along to Abbie in Missouri! Now her mind can be relieved that she had the story partly right -- the name of Fiddletown was changed to something else -- then restored, only it had been changed to Oleta and not Ione. What an interesting story. Suppose it was something similar that changed the name of Hangtown to Placerville... :) Thank you very much, Nancy, appreciate your offer to help with more info about Fiddletown - "Oleta." If Abbie needs anything more, I'll certainly let you know. Going to try to call her this evening (Saturday 7 Aug). PatriciaJ <[email protected]> Nancy Howard wrote: > > Hi Particia and Listers, > A quick check of Rensch's 'Historic Spots in California' yields: > A few miles east of Plymouth is the picturesque settlement of > Fiddletown, immortalized by Bret Harte's story "An Episode of > Fiddletown." It was first settled by in 1848 by a party of > Missourians. "They are always fiddeling," said an old Missouri > partiarch; "call it Fiddletown." And Fiddletown it was until 1878 > when the name was changed to Oleta. The change was made by the state > legislature, at the insistance, it is said, of Judge Purinton, a > prominent citizen who on frequent business trips to Sacramento and San > Francisco had been greatly embarrassed as being known as "the man from > Fiddletown." Through the efforts of the Committee of Historic > Landmarks of the California Historical Society, the old name of > Fiddletown was restored in 1932. > In the 1850s and early 1860's Fiddletown was the trading center > for a number of rich mining camps-- <snipped...> > It's cooler today in scenic Studio City, > Nancy Howard > ()Glad you're cooler - we are still 98+ today, higher again tomorrow./pjr > == > Nancy Doyle Howard; > "Let us, before we die, gather up our heritage > and offer it to our children." Will Durant > Perkins VA>KY>TN>MO> Visalia CA > Doyle VA>KY>TN>MO> Fresno CA > Howard ME>NY>OR> Fresno CA > <snipped...>

Howdy, The Western Arkansas frontier towns of Fort Smith and Van Buren were prominent starting points for overland emigrants using the Southern Trails to CA during the gold rush era The village of Fort Smith, Arkansas was first established near a "log army post"(?) in 1817. Abandoned around 1824, it was reestablishd some twenty years later. . Like other small hamlets and villages bordering the Indian territory its reported principal revenue was from the sale of whiskey to the Indians, as well as the white drinking population. Fort Smith was situated at the junction of the Poteau and Arkansas Rivers, with Van Buren was five miles below.. The Canadiain River's north fork flowed into its main stream, some 40 miles west of Fort Smith. After that, travelers faced a 800 mile westward trek to Santa Fe.(from Patricia Etter's "An American Odyssey").. In competition for CA emigrants with their Texas neighbors to the southwest, these frontier towns advertised widely in such as "Fort Smith Herald," "Arkansas State Democrat," "Arkansas Banner," "Arkansas State Gazette" and "Mississippian" to convince the public that through its domain ran the BEST route to the CA gold mines. I must have worked some because later on of the NY newspapers came out agreeing with them. As early as September 23, 1848, the Fort Smith citizens passed resolutions, approved by the Arkansas state legislature, petitioning Congress to authorize a survey and establish a NATIONAL road from Fort Smith to California. Even though a US Senate military committee, headed by Jefferson DAVIS, approved the plan, no action was taken. But the war department did order Captain Randolph B. MARCY to command an escort of dragoons and infantry for the protection of the emigrants from Fort Smith. This command included a topographical engineer named Lt. James H. SIMPSON. The command was to proceed(it left on April 4[9?],1849) from Ft. Smith 'along the valley of the main Canadian, by the most practicable route' to Santa Fe. The expedition's object was 'to ascertain the best route from this point[Fort Smith] to New Mexico and California"(Ark.St.Dem.-Feb. 9, 1849). Editor/annotator Ralph B. BIEBER writes in "Southern Trails to California in 1849": "Promise of government protection led many emigrants to choose the route through Arkansas as the best way to the gold mines. During the spring and summer of 1849 about 3,000 argonauts(another editor said 2,000 were encamped around Fort Smith by April, 1949) from at least 25 states assembled at Fort Smith and Van Buren.... The largest number came from New York and the southern states. Numerous river steamers were kept busy night and day transporting the gold seekers up the Arkansas to Fort Smith and Van Buren." On March 11, 1849, a prospective gold-seeker wrote from Fort Smith: "Here, it is said, we are on the threshold of the vast prairie, the immensity and solitude of which is only interrupted by a few wooded streams, and a single range of timber mountains. This will be a new life to me, but my heart beats with anticipation of pleasurable excitement during the trip... This place[Fort Smith] is crowded and I would suggest to emigrants coming up, to stop at Van Buren. It is a larger town[?}, and as much more business is done there, the goods are cheaper. Horses, mules and provisions, the latter in particular, those we now get here, were laid in at Van Buren."(Grant Foreman's "Marcy & the Gold Seekers.) Probably the first gold-seekers to arrive in Fort Smith were reported in the "Arkansas Gazette" on December 8, 1848 as, "Four emigrants from New York, with a mule team and all the necessary fixings, passed through Little Rock today en route to California. They intend to go with the company from Fort Smith." Reportedly, this company was the "Little Rock and California Assciation," - one of whose members was our friend 49er/diarist Robert BROWNLEE( Remember his winter of 1849 pack mule trip from Stockton to Agua Fria in the mud(doby?:-). Anyway, let's rejoin BROWNLEE as he writes in his journal: "We [Little Rock and California Association] were to rendezvous at Fort Smith, about 300 miles up the river(Arkansas?], at the mouth of the north fork of the Candian[river] which took us almost to Santa Fe. We stayed in Camp at Fort Smith some time.waiting on different portions of the train, which had to come 400 miles to connect with us, and the roads at that season were very soft and miry, it took them a long time. After a while, about the latter part of March[1849], some 60 wagons, with from four to six mules to a team, and each man with his saddle horse and rifle joined us.... "After a while we made a start[left Fort Smith on April 16, 1849], but the roads were very soft, loads heavy, and mules GREEN as well as the men...":-)). NOTE: For perspective: The first gold-seekers supposedly left western Arkansas in March, 1849, from both Fort Smith and Van Buren. They "journeyed along the Canadian river across the Pecos river to the vacinity of Santa Fe."(Beiber, So.Trails toCA). Sorry, a little choppy - from a bunch of stuff:-) Bob Norris in Dallas BNorris166aol.com>

Hi Particia and Listers, A quick check of Rensch's 'Historic Spots in California' yields: A few miles east of Plymouth is the picturesque settlement of Fiddletown, immortalized by Bret Harte's story "An Episode of Fiddletown." It was first settled by in 1848 by a party of Missourians. "They are always fiddeling," said an old Missouri partiarch; "call it Fiddletown." And Fiddletown it was until 1878 when the name was changed to Oleta. The change was made by the state legislature, at the insistance, it is said, of Judge Purinton, a prominent citizen who on frequent business trips to Sacramento and San Francisco had been greatly embarrassed as being known as "the man from Fiddletown." Through the efforts of the Committee of Historic Landmarks of the California Historical Society, the old name of Fiddletown was restored in 1932. In the 1850s and early 1860's Fiddletown was the trading center for a number of rich mining camps--American Flat and American Hill, French Flat, Loafer Flat, Lone Hill and others. The entire region, now including the ridge between Suckertown (now Brdgeport) and State Creek, forms a part of extensive river deposits. The author goes on the cite the rich farming lands and thriving agticulture and farming of the area...many descendants of the originl pioneer settlers still live there on the old homesteads. I have a small book on the history of Fiddletown and will try to answer questions about the town and its history...just send a post. It's cooler today in scenic Studio City, Nancy Howard == Nancy Doyle Howard; "Let us, before we die, gather up our heritage and offer it to our children." Will Durant Perkins VA>KY>TN>MO> Visalia CA Doyle VA>KY>TN>MO> Fresno CA Howard ME>NY>OR> Fresno CA _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com

Fiddletown changed its name to Oleta in 1878 and back to Fiddletown in 1932. Information from the Malakoff site. The Malakoff site has some great gold camp histories of the Highway 49 communities: http://www.malakoff.com/goldcountry.htm Carolyn E_or_P_Rowell wrote: > > Many thanks for letting me know that Ione and Fiddletown > are not the same place. This was my assumption, but I've > been wrong before, and since Fiddletown was not listed in > my old 1885 atlas, I couldn't be positive about it. > > Can anyone tell me if Fiddletown was renamed for a while > and then changed back to Fiddletown? This was mentioned > in her telephone call.....so maybe that's what confused > her thinking it was Ione. > > Thanks again! > PatriciaJ<[email protected]> > > ==== CA-GOLDRUSH Mailing List ==== > Automatic Administrative Reminder: > If you have an announcement of an up-coming event in > celebration of California's sesqicentenniel, please get > approval from the list owner <[email protected]> before > posting it to the list.

Many thanks for letting me know that Ione and Fiddletown are not the same place. This was my assumption, but I've been wrong before, and since Fiddletown was not listed in my old 1885 atlas, I couldn't be positive about it. Can anyone tell me if Fiddletown was renamed for a while and then changed back to Fiddletown? This was mentioned in her telephone call.....so maybe that's what confused her thinking it was Ione. Thanks again! PatriciaJ<[email protected]>

Patricia, Both Ione and Fiddletown are in Amador County. Ione is where state route 104 and Hwy 49 cross each other. Fiddletown is just north east of this. Find Plymouth on HWY 49 (about 10 miles north of Ione) and look east about 5 miles to find Fiddletown on a little "local route". Oh, I forgot to say, I'm looking, at a California Map <G>. Hope this helps, RUTH _____________________________ Ruth & Don Skewis [email protected] -----Original Message----- From: E_or_P_Rowell [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, August 06, 1998 7:38 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [CA-GOLDRUSH-L] Amador Co Query Hi: Have been contacted by a new cousin living in Independence MO (she was born and raised in Yuba City and nearby towns). Our great grandparents are the ones in the Wagon Train I recently asked about - James M. Scott and wife Abigail. I have in my records that they are buried in Ione, Amador Co, CA, and she has them buried in Fiddletown. We need to know if these are different towns, as my old atlas doesn't show Fiddletown, but I've certainly heard the name many times. My list from an Amador Co researcher (dated 1985) says 'Ione.' Can you help us piece this puzzle together? Thanks very much! PatriciaJ <[email protected] ListMom Rootsweb Sponsor ==== CA-GOLDRUSH Mailing List ==== Automatic Administrative Reminder: If you have an announcement of an up-coming event in celebration of California's sesqicentenniel, please get approval from the list owner <[email protected]> before posting it to the list.

Here's what the Getty Thesaurus of Geographical Names gives on Fiddletown: Fiddletown (inhabited place) Lat: 38 30 N Long: 120 45 W Hierarchical Position: North and Central America.......(continent) United States...................(nation) California......................(state) Amador..........................(county) Ione (inhabited place) Lat: 38 21 N Long: 120 55 W Hierarchical Position: North and Central America.......(continent) United States...................(nation) California......................(state) Amador..........................(county) ---------- > From: E_or_P_Rowell <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Subject: [CA-GOLDRUSH-L] Amador Co Query > Date: Thursday, August 06, 1998 7:38 PM > > Hi: > Have been contacted by a new cousin living in > Independence MO (she was born and raised in Yuba > City and nearby towns). Our great grandparents are > the ones in the Wagon Train I recently asked > about - James M. Scott and wife Abigail. I have > in my records that they are buried in Ione, Amador > Co, CA, and she has them buried in Fiddletown. > We need to know if these are different towns, as > my old atlas doesn't show Fiddletown, but I've > certainly heard the name many times. My list from > an Amador Co researcher (dated 1985) says 'Ione.' > Can you help us piece this puzzle together? > Thanks very much! > PatriciaJ <[email protected] > ListMom > Rootsweb Sponsor > > > ==== CA-GOLDRUSH Mailing List ==== > Automatic Administrative Reminder: > If you have an announcement of an up-coming event in > celebration of California's sesqicentenniel, please get > approval from the list owner <[email protected]> before > posting it to the list. > > > > > >

Hi: Have been contacted by a new cousin living in Independence MO (she was born and raised in Yuba City and nearby towns). Our great grandparents are the ones in the Wagon Train I recently asked about - James M. Scott and wife Abigail. I have in my records that they are buried in Ione, Amador Co, CA, and she has them buried in Fiddletown. We need to know if these are different towns, as my old atlas doesn't show Fiddletown, but I've certainly heard the name many times. My list from an Amador Co researcher (dated 1985) says 'Ione.' Can you help us piece this puzzle together? Thanks very much! PatriciaJ <[email protected] ListMom Rootsweb Sponsor

Looking for my mother's birth father - John Joseph Steven BARRY (or BERRY)- Also went by the name of Joseph BERNON. DOB 1883? - place Ohio,Illinois or Penn. DOD unknown, but probably after 1960, and possibly in Stockton,CA. Parents: John Joseph BARRY (or BERRY) born England, and Anna NUNN, born England. He came from a large family - possibly 13 children. Some sibling's names: Michael, Patrick, Nora, Kate DOM (1st) 10/24/1908 in Stockton,CA to Florence Edna Salzgeber (my grandmother - he used the name of Joseph Bernon) DOB 5/11/1889, Ione, CA DODeath 3/10/1967,Stockton,CA DODivorce approx 1911. One child - Marguerite Lillain Berry, DOB 7/23/1909 (my mother - always went by the name of Margaret Lillian Stevens, (her step father). DOM (2nd) 7/3/1912 in Fresno or Visalia,CA to Ybeltje (aka Edith Rypkema DOB 6/8/1889, Sugartown, PA, DODeath 11/4/1979, Mobridge, SD DODivorce 6/27/1917 in Pine County, Minnesota. One child - Bertha Anna Berry DOB 8/7/1914, Stockton,CA Possible 3rd marriage to a Mrs. Cerney. Last known residence in Stockton, CA - lived with a MRS. ROSE on Clay Street (possibly a boarding house) probably in the 1960's. Mrs. Rose had a daughter born about 1909. Gave his occupation as plumber or metal worker. Both families of 1st and 2nd marriage have been trying to find info on this "man of many faces and lives". Any help would be most appreciated. Thank you for any information and/or referals you may provide!! Audrey in California