The Many Lost Treasures of Mariposa, CA (Photos Added)

[lookielou]

Read your artifact post last night. I was thinking about putting the hounds to work with those ... to be continueds ...

decided it's probably better to wait.

 

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[EagleDown]

Read your artifact post last night. I was thinking about putting the hounds to work with those ... to be continueds ...

decided it's probably better to wait.

Thanks!! Wouldn't want THOSE hounds messing with my continueds. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's something strange about them.

Actually, it's a bit of work doing these stories, even though I'm a "touch typist". A lot of thought and many revisions before I think they're worthy enough to offer to my readers. Plus, many other things I have going on every day.

Unfortunately, this will probably be the longest chapter of any of my stories.

 

[EagleDown]

Hi Eagle,

Your FRIEND on the East Coast
And we'll be waiting, same Bat Time, same Bat Channel

Thanks for resizing the pict. For a while all I could make out was the young lady taking your picture.

Hmmm, now it reminds me of one of my favorite songs: We Didn't Start The Fire (by Billy Joel) http://yeli.us/Flash/Fire.html

 

[trixie charger]

That young lady would be my Wife, Holly. We were on a Three hour tour...Pun not intended going to Ocracoke Island for vacation. My Friends call me Captain...Captain Jack
My favorite place on the East Coast, reminds me of Amity Island from JAWS

 

[EagleDown]

~~~\/~~~

Mariposa’s Awsome $50 Gold Slugs (LOST!!)

2nd installment

Everyone knew that there had been some heavy rains in the surrounding areas and at first, no one was really worried about him as he had been known to be late in returning before. So, he was overdue to return from his trip by 3
or 4 days before the city fathers really started to worry about him. (Or perhaps the taxes he’d collected.)

Apparently, on the morning of the 4th day, a search party gathered in front of the sheriffs office and left to search for him. They left on the trail that he would have been on as he returned to town. When they reached the ford across the creek he would have crossed on his way home, they fanned out and searched the banks of the creek. Soon, the men that went down stream sent a rider back to the ford to let the sheriff know that the tax assessors horse had been found tangled in the willows about a mile down-stream from the ford.

The sheriff re-called the group that had gone upstream, and they all headed down to where the horse had been found.

Due to the fact that the rifle was still tied down in its scabbard, and the saddle bags were still buckled closed, when they found the assessors body a little farther downstream with his revolver still in the holster, it was pretty well accepted that there was no foul play.

Even so, the saddle bags were empty and over the course of several days, the gold was never found.

The popular opinion was that the assessor had come to the ford and seeing that the water was rising due to the run-off from the mountain rains, had decided to hide the gold and attempt to ford the creek and go on home to his family. He could always return a day or so later when the water flow was back down and retrieve the gold.

What happened that fateful day, we’ll never really know. Perhaps, it was after nightfall and he missed the actual ford, or perhaps, in the rushing water, his horse stepped on a rock loosened by the fast flowing water and took what turned out to be a deadly fall for both of them.

But, though occasionally a town resident would go out prospecting or fishing and while in the area, would make a hopeful but casual search for the gold, it was not to be found.

UNTIL the night that an itinerant prospector entered the Gold Coin saloon, ordered a shot of whiskey and tossed a $50 gold slug onto the counter!!

To be continued, (perhaps tonight.)

 

[strickman]

sure was a lot for a shot of whiskey !

 

[EagleDown]

sure was a lot for a shot of whiskey !

It was all he had. I think he was expecting some change, but it cost him a lot more than that.

Come to think of it, I don't think he ever got his whiskey.

 

[trixie charger]

Eagle,

What timeline are we talking? that the assessor Died/Murdered? Sorry im always suspicious of people and circumstances. Guess its the Detective/Security in me 8)

 

[EagleDown]

Eagle,

What timeline are we talking? that the assessor Died/Murdered? Sorry im always suspicious of people and circumstances. Guess its the Detective/Security in me 8)

No problem TC, as a former Police Detective, I can appreciate that.

At one time, I had a couple of 3 ring binders full of notes and various information, but after my wife crossed over, I kinda lost interest in a lot of things. It took me a while before I regained interest in prospecting, or pretty much anything. But anyway, during the course of a couple of years, all of the information I had collected was “lost”.

In any case, the year of 1856 (tentatively) comes to mind. As for the; “Died/Murdered”, I am convinced that his death was an act of poor judgment on his part. Mostly caused by his anxiety to get home to a hot meal and a warm bed. (lol)

 

[trixie charger]

Oh Great Spirit!

Whose voice I hear in the wind; Whose breath gives life to the world;
Hear me.

I come to you as one of your many children.
I am small and weak,
I need your strength and wisdom,

May I walk in beauty.

Allow my eyes to always behold the red and purple sunset.
Help my hands respect the things you have made.
Open my ears to the sound of your voice.

Give me wisdom that I may understand the things you have taught my fathers.
Help me learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock.

I need your strength not to be greater than my brother, but to stand against my greatest enemy: myself.

Prepare me in all ways to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes.

When my mortal body fades, just as the sunset fades into the night, may my spirit come to you with no fear or shame.


If you say it wasnt foul play, so do I

 

[EagleDown]

I would think since the bags were empty, doubt crept in on more then one occasion. Hadn't slugs been passed out in prior months / weeks before he drown? Sounds like they might be looking for some one to blame. After all, how could the tax collector be so _________ ________?

Halito lookielou, no, these were first run gold pieces. After they were minted, it was discovered that the die had cracked, so there were no more minted. And, as far as I could determine from the little snippits of (second-hand) information I recieved, the only suspicion occurred when the assessor didn't show back up. At first, some were thinking that he might have run off with the collections.

After his body was found, everyone was satisfied that there had been no foul play. Of course, nobody was happy about losing the counties taxes. (lol)

 

[lookielou]

I can only speculate, Thanks for the stories! Have anymore tucked away?

 

[racefanrob]

Wow is all I can say! For the last 2 days I have been addicted to all of your posts Eagle. I don't think I have ever been glued to my screen quite like I was with your memories. I just want to say thank you for all the information you have shared. You have a big fan here in Hemet, Ca. I hope to read alot more of your stories in the future. Keep on touch typing!!!

Robert

 

[EagleDown]

My apologies, but due to some Spiritual obligations I’ve found necessary to help with, I haven’t had the time to finish the 3rd installment. I know I never mentioned it, but due to Native American couples asking me to perform wedding ceremonies for them, a number of years ago I became an Ordained Minister. At times it can add to my work load. Usually, unexpectedly. (lol)

Anyway, I’ll get back on it in the morning, so that I can get it posted tomorrow.

Eagle

 

[EagleDown]

I can only speculate, Thanks for the stories! Have anymore tucked away?

Hey, lookielou, it isn't near the end of this story yet. I'll do my best to get back on it tomorrow.

 

[EagleDown]

Wow is all I can say! For the last 2 days I have been addicted to all of your posts Eagle. I don't think I have ever been glued to my screen quite like I was with your memories. I just want to say thank you for all the information you have shared. You have a big fan here in Hemet, Ca. I hope to read alot more of your stories in the future. Keep on touch typing!!!

Robert

Welcome aboard Robert!!! Also, welcome to Tnet.

Thank you for your kind words. May you never feel that that 2 days was wasted.

Watch out for that addiction, I don’t think there’s a cure for the venomous bite of the “Treasure Hunting Gold Bug”. (Not to be confused with its lesser cousin, the plain old “Gold Bug”.)

Eagle

 

[TheRandyMan]

I got bit by the gold bug years ago!

 

[EagleDown]

I got bit by the gold bug years ago!

Sorry my Brother, you're in trouble. That picture is one of the "Terrible Treasure Hunting Gold Bugs" that you should have avoided at all costs. It's even rumored that even looking at the picture you posted can cause a serious infection.

Eagle

 

[EagleDown]

~~~\/~~~


Mariposa’s Awesome $50 Gold Slugs (LOST!!)

3rd installment


There is an old saying to the effect of: “You can’t beat City Hall” and if anyone ever had a personal example of this, it would have been this itinerant prospector…………….!!

Upon picking the $50 gold piece up, the bartender held it up for the evening tipsters to see. I would imagine that there was plenty of pushing and shoving as everyone vied for position to get a better look at this unusual but instantly recognizable coin.

The prospector was intelligent enough to know that he had created quite a stir and since most of the comments he could pick out of the roar of voices were not exactly favorable for his well being, he slipped off of the bar stool and started towards the door. Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t quick enough and was grabbed by a number of the townsfolk, then forced into a chair, where several men restrained him while one of them went to summon the Sheriff.

A little segue here: During the course of my research, I found that Mariposa had a “secret”. It seems that every store in town was connected by way of tunnels. There was even one that went up the hill to the jail. (lol) It was pretty much of a joke that everyone knew that when the deputy appeared in John C. Freemont’s head-quarters, (the Gold Coin Saloon,) that he was getting a bottle for the “high” Sheriff, by way of the “secret” tunnel to the jail. (lol) I said HAD a “secret” in jest, because the whole town knew about the tunnels.

But; I also found that today, (or at least up to 1990,) this little “secret” still existed. But, now, it’s even more of a “secret” than it was back in the 1800s. So, if you ever happen to be in a basement in town, be careful of what you say, for in Mariposa, the walls might truly have ears. (lol)

Hmmm, I’ve been in the “main tunnel” here in Bakersville, where I found that even this Metro is honey-combed with tunnels. It’s occurred to me that an enterprising researcher/author could probably write a well received book about tunnels under the streets of California cities. (lol)

Meanwhile, back at the saloon, the Sheriff arrived and intensive questioning of the prospector began. From what I gathered, he was slapped around a bit and even threatened with a “necktie party”, but, the only thing gleaned from the questioning was that everybody called him “Squeeky”, and, he found the coin near the ford as he was coming to town.

The upshot of the investigation was; after a lot of cussing and threatening, “Squeeky” was escorted to the Northern end of town where he was released and told, if he ever showed his face in Mariposa again, he would be hanged on the spot.

Hokay, now don’t go away. There’s a lot more to this story!!

To be continued……..

 

[watcher 2]

Eagledown,

Do you have a close location of this river crossing on Deadmans Creek. That would give a cache hunter a starting place. If the gold was buried along side of the river before the tax collector attempted his crossing.