CLIMATIC CHANGES--APPEARANCE OF FAMILIAR HERBS--RATS--THE TRUE
THEORY--FALL EMIGRATION--THE JOHNSON CUT OFF--THE TARGET--THE FIRST
YOUNG LADY--A SPARTAN MOTHER--THE BOYS UP A TREE.
It was often maintained by older heads, even at this time as well as
subsequently, that climatic changes followed emigration to any or all
parts of the world, and that various plants also would follow in their
trail; but why was this? Whatever the theory may be, we found the fact
one of verity in our experience in California. Can we ever forget the
old-fashioned herb bag of our boyhood days suspended from the rafters
in the garret, which we used to take delight in pelting with corn cobs
and other convenient missiles, and which contained the precious herbs
and medical plants that our grandmothers had carefully collected,
dried and stowed away for future use? We surely can never forget our
unpleasant familiarity with a portion of the contents of these same
bags, when suffering from those same complaints with which “grandma”
so assiduously and successfully coped! Now, had the grandmothers who
crossed the plains to make their homes upon this side of the continent
brought with them the ancient herb bag? More than likely was it, that
from this bag, suspended from the hoops that formed the covering of
the wagons, the seeds were scattered along the highways and byways;
for here in this far-distant land where never before were they seen
or known, could the familiar plants be discerned, sprouting into life
among the ravines and gulleys. For instance, here was the horehound,
the motherwort, the spearmint and the entire family of mints, including
of course the mint julep, and following later, the U. S. Mint. The
wild parsnip, the wild turnip and the catnip (including also in the
list a great variety of other nips found at the bar), were additional
evidences of the influence of civilization, upon the Fauna, Flora and
herbaceous productions of new settlements. The old fashioned mullein
stalk, with which we were all familiar in our boyhood days, delayed its
appearance in California, at least in the mining regions, until about
the year ’58, at which late date it came in the following authentic
manner:
A Mrs. Coates, a resident of Reservoir Hill, Eldorado County, requested
a friend in the State of Wisconsin to send her a package of the cherry
tomato seeds. The friend complied, and the seeds were received in
due time and planted. They thrived exceedingly, attaining immense
proportions far above the diminutive turnip and radish plants around
them; but it was found, alas, as they raised their heads above the
garden fence that the cherry tomato was only a mullein stalk. They
were allowed to mature from curiosity, and the seeds being blown into
the water ditch near at hand the plants became profusely scattered
throughout this portion of the mining regions. In referring again to
the appearance of the plants before mentioned seeming to follow upon
the trail of emigration, it is proper to mention here a mysterious
phenomenon which was observed afterwards in the appearance of new
varieties and species of plants, found in the mining regions wherever
the surface soil had been disturbed, or where the dirt and gravel from
below had been thrown upon the surface and exposed to the action of
the sun and atmosphere. On these piles of dirt, sand or gravel, new
species of plants would be often found that had not previously been
seen in the locality. This phenomenon has for many years been reasoned
upon, by not only the mining class, but by many able scientific men as
well, in relation to the new species or plants, that spring forth from
the soil and gravel that have been drawn up from great depths below
the earth’s surface. Many theories have been advanced in explanation
of the phenomena, and by many scientific men it is maintained that the
seeds of such plants have been lying in a dormant state for centuries,
perhaps, below the surface; but could not germinate until exposed to
the sun or atmosphere. We find upon visiting again the mining regions
where we worked in early days, that the hills and ravines in many
places where originally there stood here and there an oak, are now
covered by a thrifty growth of pine trees, many of them now nearly 40
years of age and of great size. The question, therefore, arises as to
what caused these young pines to start from the ground after the miner
had commenced his labor of extracting the gold.
Why had they not started previous to the discovery of gold; if mining
among the ravines and hills changed the conditions which were necessary
to make the coming of the young pine possible, what then were the
conditions, and what was the nature and cause of the change? In the
investigation of this phenomenon, I found one fact well demonstrated,
and that is that these young pines spring into life from the ground
only in those localities where oak trees had been standing, and which
had been cut and removed from the ground. It was upon this now vacant
ground that the young pines came forth in such numbers, and so thickly,
as though the pine nuts had been sown in the same manner as grain
would have been. From this fact, it is evident that the removing of
the oak is the condition or the change required to bring them forth;
but yet the question still remains unanswered. I found many localities
now covered with this thick growth of pines that formerly but a few
only of the oaks had occupied (and in some cases they were at least
150 feet apart), so it could not have been, as has been maintained,
that it was owing to their shading the ground that the young pines
had not before sprung up. Some scientists who have written upon
this subject maintain that the seeds of the pine are scattered just
beneath the surface of the ground; but, owing to the shade of the oak,
they cannot germinate, and lie there dormant for hundreds of years,
perhaps, until the conditions become favorable for their growth. My
interpretation of this phenomenon is, that this soil is natural to the
pine, or in other words the proper elements which bring into existence
this species of vegetation, as the pine tree, are indigenous to the
soil, for the reason, no doubt, that all of these barren places were
in some pre-historic age, covered with pines: but in consequence of
unusual dry season or by fire had become destroyed. Then again the
question arises, that since the oaks are not natural to the soil in
these locations, how then came they there? This can be explained by
the fact that the natives who inhabit these regions subsist upon the
acorns to some extent, and by them are scattered among the hills
throughout the country; they become imbedded in a short time beneath
the surface, germinate, and grow into great oaks. An accidental
production, therefore, not natural to the soil, but which extract from
it certain important elements necessary for the growth of the pine,
and the latter, as a consequence, cannot spring into life until the
former are removed. In other words, it may be stated that since the
existence of any form of life, whether vegetable or animal, can only be
possible when the conditions are favorable for such an existence, it is
therefore very evident that the growth of the oak tree upon this soil
changes, in some peculiar manner, those conditions which are necessary
for the growth of the pine; consequently, the latter cannot have an
existence until the conditions are rendered favorable by the removal of
the former. That such is the true theory has been well demonstrated,
in my opinion, in a few instances here in California in the case of
the wild oats, when a field of wheat has been transformed or changed
into the former. Wild oats being indigenous to the soil, or, in other
words, the proper elements being contained within the soil necessary
to produce this variety of cereal will under certain conditions, for
instance, such as plowing, cultivation, or in stirring of the loose
soil, spring forth spontaneously without the necessity of previously
sowing the seed, and thus preventing the germination of the wheat. This
singular phenomenon has occurred upon three separate occasions here to
my knowledge, and is, as far as my knowledge extends, a phenomenon that
has never been known to occur in any other country except upon a much
smaller scale.
But the question might very properly be asked, Since these pines are
indigenous to the soil, and await the time when all proper conditions
are favorable for their growth, why do they not come forth and cover
the ground previous to the growth of the oak, as well as after the
latter has been removed?
The only explanation of this in my opinion is, so far as it is possible
to understand the phenomenon, that the presence of the oak growing
upon the heretofore barren sod, makes the conditions in some peculiar
manner favorable for the germination of the pine, by transferring such
elements from the atmosphere to the soil as are favorable for it, or
otherwise extracting from the soil certain elements which are obnoxious
to its growth, and for such reasons, therefore, upon the removal of the
oak the young pines make their appearance; at any rate the phenomenon
exists, whether the above explanation is the true one or not.
There also was soon seen the old faithful family house-dog, who had
followed patiently and wearily through sandy deserts and over mountains
the train of his master to find a new and a more pleasant
[Illustration: THE FIRST RAT IN THE MINES.]
home upon the Pacific slope; but up to the spring of ’50 not a single
cat, or “Kitty,” was seen in this part of the mining regions. Many
started with the trains but died before reaching here. In the fall of
’50 many were occasionally seen, having been brought from Oregon and
the lower part of California. Domestic animals will, like the herb, and
for similar reasons (if any one can explain what they are), follow in
the trail of advancing civilization, for here now, at this early day,
when we have only scarcely arrived, and have hardly had time to get
squared around and get located, or to look about us, we find among us
the familiar plants, the faithful house-dog, the occupant of the hearth
corner--the cat, and now but one thing, or but one more animal, is
wanting to complete the complement needed to give all the appearance of
an Eastern home which we have deserted, perhaps forever, and that is
the affectionate and the docile rat. Oh, where is the rat! why has he
so long delayed!
“He is here! here he is! hello, boys, boys, quick! he has come at last!”
A rush and a commotion in the street outside gave evidence of some
tragic event which had occurred, or was about to take place. Men were
running from all directions; some with guns, pistols and weapons of
various descriptions and calibre, from a bean blower to a mountain
howitzer, and all appeared to be concentrating their forces toward a
certain grocery store, in front of which were a number of men who were
hopping, stamping, and jumping around upon a pile of straw. All were
evidently in the last stages of “jimjams,” for they all swore that
they had seen a big rat, while others again, who seemed more quiet and
composed, maintained that, although they hadn’t seen him, yet they were
positive that they smelled him. Yes, it was true, for soon its body was
found in the straw, horribly mangled, so much so that its countenance
was unrecognizable, but its tail was, and that told the tale of its
species. It had sponged its way up from San Francisco in the straw of a
crockery crate, and thus ended the career of the first rat that arrived
in Hangtown, on or about March 1, 1850.
The arrival of every ship into San Francisco brought its full
complement of rats from various parts of the world. The consequence
was that, by the fall of ’50, the chief towns near and convenient to
San Francisco were overrun with this species of animal. During a walk
through the principal street in Sacramento in the evening, after the
business of the day was over, they could be seen in swarms, and in
some localities it was even difficult to walk along without stepping
upon the innocent creatures. On one sidewalk in particular, in J
street, I think, upon which were piled sacks of grain and produce
of various kinds, could be seen rats by the thousands, of all sizes
and nationalities, crawling in among, through, and over these sacks
in every direction; through tunnels, down shafts and drifts, in true
miner’s style, and from their sleek, healthy
[Illustration: RATS.]
appearance they had evidently struck it. They were different in
nationality, which was evident from their choice in the selection of
food; for instance, in among a pile of sacks containing cabbages, were
the Dutch species of rats, brought over in some ship from Holland.
There was no mistaking their birthplace, for scraps of Bologna
sausage were scattered about, and the scent of Limberger cheese was
perceptible. Upon a pile of sacks containing corn, was seen a number
of very healthy corpulent chaps who appeared to be engaged in debating
some important question. They were probably of English stock, and were
holding a debate upon the corn laws. Upon a pile of sacks which were
filled with wheat, was seen a large number of rats of all sizes and
descriptions: some with long tails, some with short, and some with no
tails at all. They appeared to be engaged in a fierce warfare over
some very important question, and were scratching, biting, pulling
and hauling each other around in a most vicious manner. A closer
observation evidenced the fact that these were the true American
species, and were wheat brokers “on ’change.” There was no mistaking
the nationality of those rats prospecting among the stack of potato
sacks beyond, for standing erect upon the top of it, in a very striking
attitude, with its paws up in Yankee Sullivan style, was a huge rat,
its long tail carelessly thrown over an immense potato in front of it,
and in imagination we heard it remark to its companions around it:
“Now, me lads, bring on the b’ys who’d be afther jest treading on me
foine tail, thin!”
A pile of mats containing rice was honored by the presence of a lot
of Chinese rats. The style of eating, and the manner of handling the
chop-sticks was an evidence of this fact.
The time was now near at hand when the semi-civilized conditions under
which the earlier emigrants had been living, were to be changed; for
there was quite a large emigration on its way from Missouri, Texas and
other States west of the Mississippi, and among them were some of the
most desperate characters of the frontier. The first arrivals of the
emigrants created no little degree of excitement among the younger
portion of the community, especially from the fact that it was learned
that a number of young ladies were on their way to the mining regions,
and would probably pass through the town. About this time, which I
think was in August, ’50, quite a large number of miners were at work
in and near the creek, along
[Illustration: THE FIRST YOUNG LADY.]
the margin of which was the regular emigrant road, following the course
of the creek for nearly two miles.
It was late in the afternoon of one pleasant day that the news was
passed along down the creek, from the miners above to others below,
that a train was coming in which a very pretty young lady was the chief
attraction. A dust cloud was soon seen away above, showing that the
train was near at hand, and the miners left their work and arranged
themselves near the road. As the train approached, the young lady
was seen in advance riding the old family gray mare, and apparently
unconscious of the sensation which she was the innocent cause of
producing among that crowd of unwashed, uncombed and unshaven miners.
She was, as all would swear to, a very pretty girl from the State of
Kentucky; the daughter of a colonel who was a veteran of the Mexican
war. Of course, it would never answer for ladies who had been traveling
over mountains and sandy deserts for three or four months, to appear
again in a civilized community in traveling costume, so a halt had been
made previous to their entry, a few miles above, and toilets properly
arranged. The young lady was dressed plainly but neatly in a common
blue calico dress, with a yoke attachment at the top, heavy flounces
around the bottom cut bias style, but no paniers to speak of. She wore
a broad-brimmed Leghorn, milk-maid style of a straw hat, and a broad,
black velvet ribbon around her neck.
The other members of the family had not been so particular and looked
just like all other emigrants. The wagon contained, of course, the
aged parents, with the usual complement of tow-heads found among all
emigrant trains.
The remarks made by the various miners as the young lady passed along
upon the old gray mare were very amusing. One youth remarked that,
“Them eyes of her’n are jest exactly like my Mary Jane’s,” and another
one says, “Now that nose and chin and her hair, too, is exactly like
my Marthy’s down in Kennebunk.” “But ain’t she lovely, though?” asked
another, and so on, each one remarking how much she resembled and
reminded him of some one often thought of away across the continent.
One young man had the audacity to remark, in the hearing of them all,
that “That young Kentucky gal wern’t half so good looking as his
Matilda Jane down in Jersey,” and they gave the youth to understand
that they would have a settlement with him for expressing such an
opinion. But the next morning, on coming out to work, they found two
stakes driven upon this young man’s claim, and on one was an old
sun-bonnet, while on the other was fastened a young lady’s slipper. He
had evidently purloined these from the wagon during the silent watches
of the night, knowing them to be the property of the young lady from
Kentucky. Under such circumstances it was evident that he had repented
of his rashness, and he was freely forgiven upon the condition that he
would make a division of the plunder, which he did.
The train went into camp near town, and after the day’s work was
done, many of the younger boys lounged around in the vicinity of the
strangers’ camp to get a sight of the pretty Kentucky girl.
While she was engaged in frying pancakes for the evening meal, a young,
sandy-haired miner proposed to purchase one of them from her. She said
that they were not for sale, but that she would give him one with
pleasure, which she did by dropping it hot from the pan into his hand,
and he returned the compliment by dropping into her hand a very pretty
gold specimen, which she refused to accept. Upon a little persuasion
from the modest youth she changed her mind, however, and slipped it
into her pocket.
The emigrants continued straggling in, some on foot and alone, and
others in trains drawn by horses, mules or oxen. The variety of
vehicles was legion, as some had two wheels and others four; while
one man, a tall, sandy-haired Scotchman, rolled along over the dusty
road, over mountains, through rocky cañons and across the barren desert
from St. Jo, in a carriage with but one wheel, to wit, only a common
wheel-barrow.
The emigrants of this year suffered terribly in consequence of the
scarcity of grass for animals, for which reason many cattle died, and
the emigrants were compelled to finish their journey for hundreds of
miles on foot. There were numerous deaths from exhaustion, starvation
and disease. After their arrival in town, however, many died from
over-eating, and in some cases it was necessary to restrain them by
main force from gorging themselves while at the dinner table.
Four young men in town procured horses, and, loading them with
provisions cooked ready for use, started out to feed the starving
emigrants. A few miles from town they encountered an ox team which was
standing in the road. The driver, a large, powerful man, was seated
in the road in the dirt and dust in front of them gnawing, or rather
sucking, a small piece of pork rind, and in the covered wagon was found
the wife and mother, with two or three children, engaged in a similar
on occupation. It was the last of their supplies, and upon which they
had subsisted for the previous two days. The young men, therefore,
furnished them with the necessary supplies at once.
[Illustration: EMIGRATION OF ’50.]
A few miles further on they saw ahead of them, in the road, a man
covered with dust and dirt and hatless, running at full speed towards
them. They discovered that he was an emigrant, and that starvation had,
doubtless, made him partially insane. He was pursued and caught, and
after being fed he recovered sufficiently to be able to give his name.
He stated that a few miles back upon the road he had passed a woman,
with her husband, who was sick in the wagon, and with three or four
young children.
“The woman,” he said, “was frying over the fire a few little cakes, and
I asked if she would give me one as I was starving. She said that she
would to save my life, but that those four little cakes were the last
that she had to divide among six of them. I told her that if that was
the case I would not rob her.”
And from that time he stated that he seemed to lose all consciousness.
[Illustration: WHAT’S UP.]
By the afternoon of the second day out upon their charitable mission
the young men had distributed their supplies among the suffering, and
camped for the night at a spring near the road. Towards evening, as
they were sitting by their camp fire, they observed away across on the
opposite side of a steep cañon, an animal of some kind, but owing to
the distance could not tell whether it was a horse, cow or bear. They
fired several shots with their rifles in that direction, but without
effect.
It was about daylight the next morning when they were aroused from a
sound sleep by a terrible noise and stampede among their horses. Upon
investigation was discovered, at a short distance through the darkness,
the form of some animal which had very much the appearance of a huge
bear, as they had often seen portrayed in their picture books when
boys. They concluded not to investigate any further at present, but
vied with each other to see who could climb up a tree the quickest. The
grizzly, for such it proved to be, was the strange animal seen upon
the flat across the cañon, and which they had been using for a target.
Instigated by a similar feeling, presumably, and with an intense desire
to see who the, to it, strange animals were upon the hill, it had
traveled up around the head of the cañon, a distance of about twelve
miles, to satisfy its curiosity and to see what was up, which it soon
found, on looking up among the limbs of a big pine tree.
After devouring everything in sight that was eatable, as well, also,
as many things which were not so much so, the grizzly cast its eyes up
towards the boys, and with a knowing wink hoped they would come that
way often to practice target shooting, and departed.
The third night out, and on their way home, they camped at what was
then called “Leek Springs,” on the regular emigrant road. They picketed
their horses as usual before retiring for the night, but found, to
their astonishment in the morning, that the trusty steeds had been
stolen. After tracking the animals for a few miles, they saw among the
tall grass a large band of horses, well guarded by mounted Mexicans,
which had been stolen from the emigrants for the two previous years.
Upon arriving in town the facts were reported and an expedition started
immediately to capture the thieves, but too late, as the marauders were
on their way to Lower California, led by the noted bandit Joaquin, it
was supposed.
A two-wheeled, covered cart, drawn by a very diminutive yoke of oxen,
which passed through the town at this time created much amusement. It
was under the management of a stately Pike County dame. She was about
fifty years of age, with long ringlets dangling from the sides of her
head, and was dressed in the latest and most approved style of bloomer
costume. As this stately dame marched with a dignified and majestic
tread alongside of her team, carrying upon her shoulder the usual
regulation Missouri ox gad, she presented a fine appearance, and as old
Mike (a venerable Greek) remarked:
“Be jabers, thin, she reminds me of a Spartan mither with her chariot,
do yez see, searching upon the faild of battle for the bodies of her
brave b’ys!”
It was, however, a fair illustration of what it is even possible for a
woman to accomplish when she takes a notion.
[Illustration: THE SPARTAN MOTHER.]
The road across the Sierra Nevada range of mountains, over which the
emigrants were obliged to travel, in order to pass through Hangtown,
was called the old Tremont trail, and was a very rough road; crossing
deep cañons and rocky points, but a man by the name of Jack Johnson who
was accustomed to mountain travel and famous for opening new trails and
“cut offs,” succeeded in the fall of ’49, or spring of ’50 rather, in
finding a much better, as well as a shorter trail, which the emigration
of following years took advantage of. It was used for many years, and
universally known as the “Johnson Cut off,” and, by the way, it was
supposed to save about thirty miles of travel.
Some eighteen or twenty years subsequent to the finding of this trail,
Mr. Johnson had occasion to stop over night in Placerville, at the
Cary House, and occupied a room in the second story. He was tired and
restless, and awakening in the night, not knowing where he was, and
seeing before him what he supposed was an open door, which was in fact
a French window opening to the floor, he walked out of this window,
falling to the ground below, and breaking an arm in the fall. An old
timer who was present, the next day with a piece of chalk wrote upon a
board, placing the latter against the building beneath the window:
THE JOHNSON CUT OFF.
But the old timer was many years behind the time for such a joke to be
understood and appreciated; for nearly twenty years had passed, and
the history of “Johnson’s Cut off” had long since been forgotten, or
remembered only as a tradition; and all those who saw the sign, with a
couple of exceptions, asked what it meant. Becoming conscious at length
that even here, too, time was putting in its work, with a sad heart he
removed the board from its position, remarking to another old timer
near him:
“Dan! the time alas, is drawing near when the boy will inquire of his
father:
“‘Pa, what is an old forty-niner, anyhow? The school-teacher gave the
conundrum to-day, for us to guess.’”
“The father referring to Mark Twain; ‘Phœnix,’ the Argonauts of
California,’ and numerous other ancient records will answer, that many
long years ago, a few adventurers from the Eastern States hearing
that here upon the Western Slope the discovery of the ancient site of
Paradise had been made, and that remnants of the richly paved streets
of the New Jerusalem had also been found scattered over the country,
ventured forth in quest of this earthly Eden. They brought with them
in their ships all the various tools, implements, and devices for
collecting together the scattered remnants of the holy pavement, and
tradition states also, as well as from the fact that amidst the debris
and ruins of an old edifice of some description in San Francisco was
found many years since a huge bear carved in stone, confirming the
tradition that this was the site of an edifice erected by this race
of people (the Forty-niners) and used as a place of resort for social
gatherings, and as a means of keeping in remembrance those early days
and perpetuating the names of the most prominent of those who took a
part. And the inquisitive boy would probably ask:
“‘Are the names of any of these yet remembered, Pa?’
[Illustration: THE ARGONAUT AND HIS MULE.]
“‘Yes, but only one that I now remember of,’ the father would answer;
for it was the tradition that at that early period of time, a mule
was often seen wandering among the hills and cañons, going in various
directions, but without any apparent desire on the part of the frank
and energetic looking Argonaut upon its back to go anywhere in
particular, only so he got there on time. ‘Tradition, my son, further
tells us that this rider’s name was Pixley, and that he was probably
hunting for some office.’”
“‘Well,’ the boy asks, ‘did he find it, Pa?’
“‘Tradition tells us that he did later--a printing office.’
“‘Well, Pa,’ the boy will again ask; ‘the name of the man who first
found the gold was known, wasn’t it?’
[Illustration: THE CHIEF COOK.]
“‘Yes, so it was supposed for many long years, and they even erected
a monument in Colomo to perpetuate his memory; but alas for the
uncertainty of all human knowledge, an eccentric and ingenious
individual who made cyphers and oughts his study, made the discovery by
a peculiar combination of them, that the first person who discovered
gold here in California was not a man, but a woman, who was engaged as
chief cook for one of the Indian chiefs, and that she found it in the
dinner pot. While cooking for her royal master a Shanghai chicken, the
old chief noticed that it had a very yellow, sickly appearance, and
remarked:
“‘Not muchee bellie good, alle same sick.’
“‘And the cook, in searching for the cause, found a small fragment of
pavement imbedded in its gizzard. Holding it aloft with a triumphant
grin, she exclaimed to her royal lord and master:
“‘Oh! go way wid ye now, ye ould hathen. Do yez moind this now? For
shure, and ’tis mesilf that’s the first one to place me oi squarely
upon the likes of this; a bit of the howly pavement and pure vargin
gould. It is now, do yez moind?’
“‘And this simple incident, my son, was the first foundation in the
structure of this great and glorious empire, California, where it was
your good fortune to first see the light of day.’
“‘Well, it was funny, wasn’t it, Pa? for the books tell us that one
empire in the olden times was saved by a goose, and here is another one
founded by a Shanghai rooster.’
“Daniel, let us enter in yonder open doorway, lean upon the bar, and
weep.”
They immediately did forthwith enter therein; and leaning sadly upon
the bar, did--smile.