Hi Art... MOTHER LODE…The Story of California’s Gold Rush by Louis J. Stellman "One of Grass Valley's most important mines, and one that was for a time the richest in the state, was the Allison Ranch mine. Failing more or less as an agricultural proposition, it was turned over in part to placer mining. In 1853 the Daniell brothers, John & William, were washing a stream and uncovered an extraordinary rich ledge of gold-bearing quartz. But so strong was the prejudice against quartz or "rock" mining that they paid no attention to it. A year later Michael Colbert and James Stanton bought an interest in the Allison Ranch claim, as it was called, and the ledge was once more uncovered in the course of placer operations. Again the rich find was ignored, though all four of the partners were excited by the presence of unusual quantities of free gold. Later, when tales of quartz bonanzas were brought to Grass Valley by wandering miners, Colbert and Stanton mined a quantity of gold-rock from the vein, but before it could be reduced a landslide covered it. They were unconcerned. But Nature, it would seem, was bound to make the secret of its treasure manifest in spite of man's obtuseness. A heavy downpour washed away the loose earth of the slide as well as some of the decomposed quartz in the exhumed rock. It was "lousy" with gold. It could no longer be flouted. They gave Con Reilly a share to work the ledge. They extracted $375 from the first little pile, in next eighteen tons $6000 & in the last 62 tons, $30,000. Then began an era of wild spending. Two hundered men were put to work. The partners became nabobs. They dressed in tall hats, frock coats & patent leather boots. They bought diamond necklaces & gave them to companions of the night. They spent every nickle the mine brought them and ran into debt. In 1866 the mine was abandoned at 500 feet but it's riches only scratched." Jackie in California [email protected]