Just a bit of background information on Secret Ravine (where diarist GARDINER is spending some time) from Gudde_California Gold Camps_: Secret Ravine (Placer) The long ravine heads just south of Newcastle and runs southwesterly past Rocklin, draining finally in to Dry Creek south of Roseville. There was extensive placer mining in the 1850's and 1860's in the vicinity of Newcastle, and also to the south around Stewarts Flat. GARDINER ! placer mined at Secret Ravine with fair success from October, 1850 to the summer of 1852(but we already knew that=right!) An unidentified clipping marked December 1, 1850, (in Hayes Scrapbooks:Mining, I, sec.49:-)) gives an optimistic account of the placer diggings, which extended for a distance of ten miles. Pine Grove-:)), later Pino was apparently the center of the ravine diggings at that time. The State Register, 1859, lists three mills, whith a total of 22 steam-driven stamps and 8 arrastres, erected in 1858 at Secret Ravine, Placer County, indicating that there was also lode mining in the area-in fact the reference is to this Secret Ravine. A post office named Secret Ravine was established in 1854, and for a few months in 1863 it was called Auburn Station. Hurtchings lists Secretr Ravine as a town in Placer County in 1855, but he does not locate it specifically. Secret Ravine is shown as a geographical feature on the USGS Auburn 1944 guadrangle. and there is another Secret Ravine- Sierra County and there is another Secret City/Secret Ravine in Placer County!! (near Dutch Flat and Gold Run) Carolyn