The History of the Gold Discoveries

About the Book

This book is the chronological history of the gold rush and gold discoveries from 1848 through 1875, as viewed and reported by the newspapers and miners, on what was called the Northern Mines area of California's Mother Lode Gold Belt. The Northern Mines was that area north of the Cosumnes River, which included Placerville on northward. It included the region containing the South, Middle and North forks of the American River, the Bear River, the South, Middle and North forks of the Yuba River, and the South, Middle and North forks of the Feather River, plus all the other branches and tributaries that ran into the named forks and rivers. This book contains as many newspaper articles that could be found relating to the gold rush days. In using the newspaper articles from the golden era as printed, with their dates, this reveals just when the "New Diggings" as they were called, were found; where they were being made; how rich some of the diggings were; what type of diggings they were; the names of some of the prospectors who found some of the diggings or who were at the diggings and what they were taking out. There are tales of how some of the diggings were found and why some of them received the names they did. The overall purpose of this book is to give a full picture of exactly what was happening to as many different named diggings, locations, camps, and towns that came up in the Northern Mines area, and to give an account of events over at least a certain length of time, exactly as it was reported. To determine from just where each newspaper article within this book comes from, each of the newspaper articles used has first, the date on which it appeared in the newspaper, followed in parentheses by the name of the newspaper from which that particular article was obtained from.

About the Author

While in the U.S. Military stationed in Turkey in the eary 1970s, Swindle became interested in minerals and geology. In returning to the U.S. and during the 26 years he lived in Colorado, he spent countless hours in the mountainous terrain looking for, digging and collecting the minerals known to exist in the Pikes Peak Region. He always enjoyed writing, which resulted in having six extended articles about minerals and his experiences published in a national mineral magazine over a period of eight years. He then spent six years searching the plains around the Pikes Peak Region, to determine the origin, types and forms of Petrified Wood existing within that area. In moving to the California and the Gold Belt Region, it seemed only natural that searching out the history of its gold would follow the author's next interest. This book being the results of that interest. Also by Lewis J. Swindle: The History of the Gold Discoveries of the Southern Mines, The Fraser River Gold Rush of 1858, The Story and Trials of Adolph Julius Weber