The Many Lost Treasures of Mariposa, CA (Photos Added)
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EagleDown
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watcher 2, I guess I'll have to be "straight up" here. No offense intended but, I believe I have the location down to less than 100 yards. My partner and I have intentions of trying to locate it this coming summer. If we are fortunate to recover it and get it out of the area, it will be posted here. If we determine that I'm not as smart as I thought I was, then I'll probably post the details that I'm purposely editing out at this time.
Frankly, you could do a little research and find out where the old ford was, before the road was paved and the bridge put in.
_________________________________________________________________________________
A little story about another creek: In the early 1980s, a family bought some property on Mariposa Creek, just outside of town. They asked one of my Miwok Brothers if he would come out and show them any good places to dredge/prospect. Danny was a life-long resident and being Native American, he had prospected all over the area and had years of experience at dredging. (Plus an excellent reputation for honesty.)
He went out to the property and pointed out where the old ford use to be across Mariposa Creek. He told them that the miners left the fords alone since usually, it would be miles before there would be another way to cross the creek safely.
They thanked him, then brought in a back-hoe and started digging the ford out, down to the bedrock. A few days later, one of the Brothers of the operation was walking past the materials that had been piled up from the dig, when he noticed a spot of gold showing through the sand and gravel. He dug it out and found he was holding a “large nugget” of solid gold.
Then a huge family squabble started over whether it belonged to everyone or to the finder. The last I heard, back in the late 80s, the family members were still not talking to each other.
And, as far as Danny, they never gave him a speck of gold for his expertise, even from what they found before that fateful nugget. I never did hear anyone say how much the nugget weighed, though it might be public knowledge by now. (lol)
Go figure……………………
Frankly, you could do a little research and find out where the old ford was, before the road was paved and the bridge put in.
_________________________________________________________________________________
A little story about another creek: In the early 1980s, a family bought some property on Mariposa Creek, just outside of town. They asked one of my Miwok Brothers if he would come out and show them any good places to dredge/prospect. Danny was a life-long resident and being Native American, he had prospected all over the area and had years of experience at dredging. (Plus an excellent reputation for honesty.)
He went out to the property and pointed out where the old ford use to be across Mariposa Creek. He told them that the miners left the fords alone since usually, it would be miles before there would be another way to cross the creek safely.
They thanked him, then brought in a back-hoe and started digging the ford out, down to the bedrock. A few days later, one of the Brothers of the operation was walking past the materials that had been piled up from the dig, when he noticed a spot of gold showing through the sand and gravel. He dug it out and found he was holding a “large nugget” of solid gold.
Then a huge family squabble started over whether it belonged to everyone or to the finder. The last I heard, back in the late 80s, the family members were still not talking to each other.
And, as far as Danny, they never gave him a speck of gold for his expertise, even from what they found before that fateful nugget. I never did hear anyone say how much the nugget weighed, though it might be public knowledge by now. (lol)
Go figure……………………
watcher 2
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EagleDown,
Thanks for your frankness. I enjoy your stories and find them inspirational. I live 88 miles North of Mariposa and thought the area would be worth checking out. Good luck in your search. It is always good when one of the old legends are confirmed.
Thanks for your frankness. I enjoy your stories and find them inspirational. I live 88 miles North of Mariposa and thought the area would be worth checking out. Good luck in your search. It is always good when one of the old legends are confirmed.
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EagleDown
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Halito watcher 2,
Thank you for those words. I always try to be straight forward with people. And even though I have related some of my stories, there are a couple of places I hope to "exploit" one of these days, so I don't give exact details of where they are. But, I do give enough information that if a person really wants to find them, they can. Or, if they think that I'm "putting them on", some of the places I'll even show them, such as the "Spanish Mine", and the mine at the top of Burma Rd. I've even shown pictures of Hermits Bar and told how to get there.
But, like "Henny Penny", I'm not going to plant and harvest the wheat, grind it to flour and bake the bread, then let someone else have the pleasure of eating the bread.
If they want a slice, they'll have to put a little effort in themselves. 
Incidently, if you got topo maps of Maripose and surrounding areas, (or Google Earth,) and really check, you might spot numerous mines that are no longer operating. They're always worth checking out with a metal detector.
Back in the 80s when we took aerial photos of the area, I found about a dozen pine trees in the mountains paralleling the river. The trees appeared to be planted. They were equidistance apart and in a straight line. I never found the time to check that out. (There was no sign of a road either.) Oh, I should add, they were big! It was hard to tell from the aerial photos, but I thought they were at least 60 foot tall.
Anyway, I hope these little suggestions help.
Eagle
Thank you for those words. I always try to be straight forward with people. And even though I have related some of my stories, there are a couple of places I hope to "exploit" one of these days, so I don't give exact details of where they are. But, I do give enough information that if a person really wants to find them, they can. Or, if they think that I'm "putting them on", some of the places I'll even show them, such as the "Spanish Mine", and the mine at the top of Burma Rd. I've even shown pictures of Hermits Bar and told how to get there.
But, like "Henny Penny", I'm not going to plant and harvest the wheat, grind it to flour and bake the bread, then let someone else have the pleasure of eating the bread.
If they want a slice, they'll have to put a little effort in themselves. Incidently, if you got topo maps of Maripose and surrounding areas, (or Google Earth,) and really check, you might spot numerous mines that are no longer operating. They're always worth checking out with a metal detector.
Back in the 80s when we took aerial photos of the area, I found about a dozen pine trees in the mountains paralleling the river. The trees appeared to be planted. They were equidistance apart and in a straight line. I never found the time to check that out. (There was no sign of a road either.) Oh, I should add, they were big! It was hard to tell from the aerial photos, but I thought they were at least 60 foot tall.
Anyway, I hope these little suggestions help.
Eagle
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EagleDown
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A while back, I posted a link to ancient artifacts that had been found. the following day, the link would no longer work. So, I thought I would post this one to kinda make up for it.
http://thecrowhouse.com/projects.html
When the "home page" comes up, just click on the book cover and save to your computer. It's free. Lots of documented finds that you (or anyone else,) never read about.
A roadway buried 15ft deep, underwater cities, gold chain inside a lump of coal, spark plug(?) inside a geode! and many more.
Enjoy................Eagle
http://thecrowhouse.com/projects.html
When the "home page" comes up, just click on the book cover and save to your computer. It's free. Lots of documented finds that you (or anyone else,) never read about.
A roadway buried 15ft deep, underwater cities, gold chain inside a lump of coal, spark plug(?) inside a geode! and many more.
Enjoy................Eagle
watcher 2
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EagleDown,
Thanks for the book. Great for my collection.
Thanks for the book. Great for my collection.
strickman
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that's some amazing reading . makes you wonder 
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EagleDown
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strickman said:that's some amazing reading . makes you wonder
Yeah, for sure. It seems that I'm on a constant quest for things to add to my confusion.
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EagleDown
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Now, if you want to take a break from that book and give your brain an opportunity to stop roiling, here's a link to gold from the Mockingbird Mine near Mt. Bullion. One of the rarest forms of gold. Crystaline Gold. (Octohedral crystals)
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Mockingbird_Mine
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Mockingbird_Mine
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EagleDown
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If I had this back in the 1960s, research would have been a lot easier.
http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gtusa/usa/ca/mrp-co.htm
http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~gtusa/usa/ca/mrp-co.htm
shepcal
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Interesting book! Have seen alot of the finds on History Channel. Will be back on TN in a couple of weeks after I finish book 
Thanks, Shep
Thanks, Shep
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EagleDown
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~~~\/~~~
Mariposa’s Awesome $50 Gold Slugs (LOST!!)
Final installment
FOUND!! (And lost again.)
A couple of years after “Squeeky” was “escorted” out of town, Winter set in. It proved to be a long wet one that seemed determined to hang around, at least until summer pushed it out.
Due to all the rain and snow, most of the small independent miners were idle, waiting for the gulches, gullies and creeks to slow down the flow of run-off so that they could go back to working their claims. It was boring just hanging around town, with the only excitement being that of drinking, swapping “tall tales” of rich strikes and gambling, so it’s not surprising that almost everyone in town turned out when 2 prospectors showed up half carrying, half dragging another prospector. His clothes were in tatters and his face looked like he had lost a fight with an ornery bobcat. The prospectors holding him up said that they had found him wandering around in the brush near the old ford.
They took him to the nearest Doctor where he was washed and his wounds were treated. But he was too far gone from dehydration and exposure. But, before he died, he told the following story…………
“It was raining all day, so I was in my cabin doing a little reading when I heard something thump against the door. I grabbed my shot-gun and called out, who’s there? I heard a groan, then a cough. Taking my lantern, I eased the door open and saw this here guy laying across the step. Well, I set everything down then helped him inside. I knew he was terrible sick since I could feel his fever as I lifted him to his feet.
I helped him to my bunk and covered him with a blanket. I helped him take a drink of water then he went to sleep. The next morning, after he woke up, I helped him sit up and fed him a cup of hot soup. He was so weak with consumption, he could hardly walk and for the next couple of days only got out of the bunk when he had to answer natures call. By the third day, he seemed to be a little better, but I think he knew his time was about up because he told me about some hidden gold that he had found.
He said he was prospecting near the old ford and about noon, he climbed up on some old high bedrock to have a bite of lunch. He said he started towards the back of the bedrock where there was a little more shade. As he stepped across a wide crack in the bedrock, since the sun was directly overhead, he saw a flash of gold at one end of the crack.
He said it took him most of the afternoon to fish out a gold coin with a long stick with a bean can tied on the end. Well, he decided right then to go into town and have a drink to celebrate. He went to the saloon and dropped the coin on the counter, and all hell broke loose. He swore he didn’t know about the lost gold coins, or he wouldn’t have gone to town.
Anyway, I calmed him down and he eased off to sleep and never woke up. The next morning, I gave him a decent burial. Afterwards, I packed my old mule with some tools and blasting powder and took off to see if I could find Squeekies crevasse.
I got there around noon and when I found the crevasse, I used my old mirror to reflect the sunlight down in the crack. On one end I could see a leather bag with some gold coins spilling out of it. At the other end of the crack, there was another bag and I guess the pack rats had been gnawing one it, because I could see raw gold spilling out.
The crack was too narrow to get in, and too deep for me to reach the bottom, so I decided to set off a charge and see if I could open it up. After every thing was ready, I lit the fuse and stepped back to where I thought I’d be safe. Well, when the charge went off, even though I was about 50ft away, it felt like every little piece of shale that came out of the crack hit me.
I was knocked out, and when I woke up, at first I thought it was night time, because I couldn’t see. It was only later when I could feel the sun on my head, I knew I’d been blinded.
Like Squeeky, this miner only lived a few days before succumbing to his exposure and injuries.
Naturally, it didn’t take long for the towns folk to get out to the ford and start their search. The miners mule was found about a mile away, wandering around in the brush, but the crack wasn’t found. Neither were his tools. It was speculated that passing prospectors had seen the tools laying there and figuring they were abandoned, had packed them off for their own use.
Note: Over the past 50 years or so, this story has been bandied about and told and retold. Consequently, a lot of tales have circulated that only serve to confuse the issue. I’ve told it as best as I can remember. Obviously, I’ve filled it in and rounded it out for continuity as parts of what I was told had no way of placing elapsed years, or even seasons. I lived in the area long enough to know that most of the rain is during the winter. And I know enough to know that if you’re going to come down with “consumption”, that’s the most likely time to get it.
Over the last 20 years or so, it seems that there’s even a dispute over whether there was a mint in Mt. Ophir. And, nobody knows if there was a mint in Mt. Bullion. In all honesty, I can’t confirm either one, but I was told that there was one in Mt. Bullion and I’ll stick with that. I’m pretty sure that the mint was only in business for a couple of years before the San Francisco
mint went into production. Any time I find myself doubting a local mint, I remind myself that cash money was in short supply in the early years of the rush so there were certain emergency plans put into service. Once the present Western mints started up, there was no more use for any small scattered mints.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the story!!
Eagle
Mariposa’s Awesome $50 Gold Slugs (LOST!!)
Final installment
FOUND!! (And lost again.)
A couple of years after “Squeeky” was “escorted” out of town, Winter set in. It proved to be a long wet one that seemed determined to hang around, at least until summer pushed it out.
Due to all the rain and snow, most of the small independent miners were idle, waiting for the gulches, gullies and creeks to slow down the flow of run-off so that they could go back to working their claims. It was boring just hanging around town, with the only excitement being that of drinking, swapping “tall tales” of rich strikes and gambling, so it’s not surprising that almost everyone in town turned out when 2 prospectors showed up half carrying, half dragging another prospector. His clothes were in tatters and his face looked like he had lost a fight with an ornery bobcat. The prospectors holding him up said that they had found him wandering around in the brush near the old ford.
They took him to the nearest Doctor where he was washed and his wounds were treated. But he was too far gone from dehydration and exposure. But, before he died, he told the following story…………
“It was raining all day, so I was in my cabin doing a little reading when I heard something thump against the door. I grabbed my shot-gun and called out, who’s there? I heard a groan, then a cough. Taking my lantern, I eased the door open and saw this here guy laying across the step. Well, I set everything down then helped him inside. I knew he was terrible sick since I could feel his fever as I lifted him to his feet.
I helped him to my bunk and covered him with a blanket. I helped him take a drink of water then he went to sleep. The next morning, after he woke up, I helped him sit up and fed him a cup of hot soup. He was so weak with consumption, he could hardly walk and for the next couple of days only got out of the bunk when he had to answer natures call. By the third day, he seemed to be a little better, but I think he knew his time was about up because he told me about some hidden gold that he had found.
He said he was prospecting near the old ford and about noon, he climbed up on some old high bedrock to have a bite of lunch. He said he started towards the back of the bedrock where there was a little more shade. As he stepped across a wide crack in the bedrock, since the sun was directly overhead, he saw a flash of gold at one end of the crack.
He said it took him most of the afternoon to fish out a gold coin with a long stick with a bean can tied on the end. Well, he decided right then to go into town and have a drink to celebrate. He went to the saloon and dropped the coin on the counter, and all hell broke loose. He swore he didn’t know about the lost gold coins, or he wouldn’t have gone to town.
Anyway, I calmed him down and he eased off to sleep and never woke up. The next morning, I gave him a decent burial. Afterwards, I packed my old mule with some tools and blasting powder and took off to see if I could find Squeekies crevasse.
I got there around noon and when I found the crevasse, I used my old mirror to reflect the sunlight down in the crack. On one end I could see a leather bag with some gold coins spilling out of it. At the other end of the crack, there was another bag and I guess the pack rats had been gnawing one it, because I could see raw gold spilling out.
The crack was too narrow to get in, and too deep for me to reach the bottom, so I decided to set off a charge and see if I could open it up. After every thing was ready, I lit the fuse and stepped back to where I thought I’d be safe. Well, when the charge went off, even though I was about 50ft away, it felt like every little piece of shale that came out of the crack hit me.
I was knocked out, and when I woke up, at first I thought it was night time, because I couldn’t see. It was only later when I could feel the sun on my head, I knew I’d been blinded.
Like Squeeky, this miner only lived a few days before succumbing to his exposure and injuries.
Naturally, it didn’t take long for the towns folk to get out to the ford and start their search. The miners mule was found about a mile away, wandering around in the brush, but the crack wasn’t found. Neither were his tools. It was speculated that passing prospectors had seen the tools laying there and figuring they were abandoned, had packed them off for their own use.
Note: Over the past 50 years or so, this story has been bandied about and told and retold. Consequently, a lot of tales have circulated that only serve to confuse the issue. I’ve told it as best as I can remember. Obviously, I’ve filled it in and rounded it out for continuity as parts of what I was told had no way of placing elapsed years, or even seasons. I lived in the area long enough to know that most of the rain is during the winter. And I know enough to know that if you’re going to come down with “consumption”, that’s the most likely time to get it.
Over the last 20 years or so, it seems that there’s even a dispute over whether there was a mint in Mt. Ophir. And, nobody knows if there was a mint in Mt. Bullion. In all honesty, I can’t confirm either one, but I was told that there was one in Mt. Bullion and I’ll stick with that. I’m pretty sure that the mint was only in business for a couple of years before the San Francisco
mint went into production. Any time I find myself doubting a local mint, I remind myself that cash money was in short supply in the early years of the rush so there were certain emergency plans put into service. Once the present Western mints started up, there was no more use for any small scattered mints.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the story!!
Eagle
calisdad
Bronze Member
lookielou said:
Me too. Thanks for the links. Odd that they missed the Bandarita mine in Coulterville when the town was almost named Bandarita. (link from a link)
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EagleDown
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I don't know, as I've noticed several "inconsistancies". For instance; there's a mine off of Bear Creek before Briceburg, (possibly the Menlo Mine.) If you know where to look, it can be seen without binoculars. Also, I've been in the King Solomon mine. One of the portals is less than 100 yards from hiway 140. How hard is that to establish a location?calisdad said:
So, is it deliberate misdirection, or lack of thorough research?? Incidentally, the King Solomon was listed in the book of Mines and Geology as one of the most productive mines in California.
Eagle
lookielou
Jr. Member
In regards to what you and your partner(s) have planned as mentioned here in the quote / link.
Who knows, something may turn up or something else might reveal it self. However it turns out,
Hope you all enjoy yourselves and have some fun ... Good Luck!
Who knows, something may turn up or something else might reveal it self. However it turns out,
Hope you all enjoy yourselves and have some fun ... Good Luck!
watcher 2
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Eagle,
Nice follow up ending to the story. Other versions might have you looking in his back yard or buried some where near the court house. Only in finding the cache will we be able to know for sure.
Watcher
Nice follow up ending to the story. Other versions might have you looking in his back yard or buried some where near the court house. Only in finding the cache will we be able to know for sure.
Watcher
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EagleDown
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I hope you enjoy it my Friend. Obviously a lot of research went into it. Sure would like to know where the Aztecs hid the rest of their gold.shepcal said:Interesting book! Have seen alot of the finds on History Channel. Will be back on TN in a couple of weeks after I finish book
Thanks, Shep
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EagleDown
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Hi Watcher! I know what you mean. Years ago, I read a treasure story that swore that the Mariposa $50 gold slugs had been found years ago; buried in sand dunes near some beach in California. Now that's what I call misdirection!!!watcher 2 said:
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