Howdy, My latest 49er/diarist Howard C. GARDINER arrived in CA in 1849, and traveled from Stockton to the Southern Mines in August of that year. But I am skipping over to his Northern Mines experiences in 1851 Only some glimpses, but sorta interesting. Editor Dale L. MORGAN question marks the date as "May ? - September, 1851". Lets reminisce with 49er Gardiner: 1). HORSE SHOE BAR: "Principal mining camps on the North Fork of the American River were at Mormon, Rattlesnake, Dead Man's, Horse Shoe, Long, and Murderer's bars. The character of the population differed materially from that of the Southern Mines. There were but few gambling houses... Nearly all the miners were native Americans, chiefly from New England and the Middle States. There were as a general thing intelligent, industrious, and not given to dissipation. The two stores at Horse Shoe Bar were those of Abraham and John BRONK and the FRENCH brothers[Henry and ]. the former included a boarding house, which was well-maintained and well-patronized. The most prominent residents, some of whose names are still familar to my mind, were Esquire [Samuel]CAREY and his son Will, Captain THOMPSON, William KIDD, Captain [George W.] CLAPP, HOLBROOK, Charley LAY, Raynor HOLCOMB, Joseph EUSTIS, Sam COFFEY, Charlie HARDENBURGH, Merrick MOORE, Jacob COLLAMOR, Tom HAINES, George KELSEY, the BRONK brothers, FRENCH brothers, and a Mr. FRENCH, who was a master mechanic." 2). SUNDAYS:: "....Sunday was the day for baking, washing, and wood chopping. On that day everything was prepared as far as possible for the succeeding week. The laundering was an easy matter, as one hickory shirt consituted the 'wash.' The mountain oak makes excellent firewood, and that was about all it is fit for. It splits easily and burns freely without seasoning. An hour sufficed to draw a week's supply from the hill, chop, and split it. In the afternoon I visited the store, brought my groceries, and after my return homes, the balance of the day was devoted to letter-writing or reading. 3). MAIL: "One thing...annoyed me...failure to get letters from home, two thirds of which went astray, and it was not until my return to the East that I discovered the reason. Postal facilities were few, San Francisco, Sacramento, and Stockton having about the only post offices. The letters from the mining camps were collected at those offices by letter - carriers who were delegated for that purpose. It was their custom to circulate orders for signatures, directing the postmaster to deliver letters addressed to the parties signing it to the carrier. This was a lucrative business to the express man, who received from one to two dollars each for all letters delivered, and naturally corralled all he could, regardless, so long as his list contained the name, where the proper owner resided. "It seems there was a man in NEVADA County whose initials and surname were the SAME as mine, who was contemptible enough to take my letters, for though our initials were alike, there was no similarity between our full names. He was a LAWYER:-), who must have discovered at a glance that the letters which were addressed in full...were NOT intended for him....and had he acted as he should have done, would have returned them to the post office unopened.....{H]e commits an outrage altogether indefensible, unwarranted, and deserving of the severest reprobation." (From "In Pursuit of the Golden Dream - Reminiscences of San Francisco and the Northern and Southern Mines, 1849 - 1857 by Howard C. Gardiner".ed. Dale L.Morgan,MA:Western Hemisphere, Inc. MCMLXX). Next time, if ok, we'll get down to some serious gold mining-)). Bob Norris in Dallas <BNorris166aol.com>