Reprinted with permission by the Sierra County Historical Society from The Sierran of April 1971, Vol 3., No.1

Last week we learned how Chips struck it rich with a hillside digging and the Smiths were determined to follow his lead.

The writer himself, who was personally acquainted with the Smiths, went seven miles expressly to try and induce them to abandon the project. Fred Smith, in reply said, that he was sure someone would, and offered me an interest in his claim, if I would only lend my countenance to the project, so as to induce others to do the same. I deemed him crazy, and left him with feelings of compassionate sorrow for his crazy hobby. This was in 1853.

Meanwhile, Chips had struck it extremely rich, at Chips’ Flat, and was almost constantly drunk; his partners wished to buy him out, but he refused steadily to sell. They now went about on the other tack; and as they could not buy him out, determined to let him kill himself with Strychnine whiskey. Accordingly, they procured a barrel and made him a present of it. He soon died, and at the Coronor’s inquest it was stated that he killed himself by drinking. A certain quack doctor from Downieville, whose name, if I read it right in my notes, was Craigge, stated under oath that he made a post mortem examination of the body, and that he died of Delerium Tremens, and the jury so found. But, on the other hand, Dr. Wm. Randall, an English surgeon, who had been Surgeon General to the British Naval Squadron, in the celebrated Opium War in China, and later a Surgeon to the American Army in Mexico, denied that Chips had died of Delerium Tremens, boldly stated at the inquest that he distinctly found opium, both in the stomach and brain. Randall, in fact, was the one who had opened the body; as Craigge was so incompetent as not to know how to commence the operation. And what makes it the more probable that this was the truth of the case, is, that Chips share of the tunnel, after deducting the expenses of the funeral, as escheated to the other partners, by the general vote of the company. This ended the like of poor Chips, a man who had done more than most men to develop the resources of Sierra County.

In 1854, a perfect rage for starting bed-rock tunnels commenced all along the different divides. The Red Star, Blue Star, Typhoon, Hook and Bull, Maidenhead, and various other tunnels were now started; all of which, at first, were started too high up on the mountain. Every hill was now covered by bands of prospectors, starting tunnels and shafts in all sorts of places, both practical and impractical. As a consequence, many companies were ruined; although many had nothing to lose but their time and were not hurt much after all. By 1855, the celebrated Blue Lead had been traced as far as Mariposa County; and now the rage for hill diggings had increased, it was extended northerly. Forest City had been struck before, as I mentioned in a previous number; Star Hill, opposite or west of it (this was the hill between Alleghany and Wet Ravine); American Hill on the east; Mount Vernon, south (actually east); and Monte Cristo, on the north. Besides these discoveries, others were continually making for miles north of these hills until, in the winter of 1859, the same lead had been traced to Quincy, in Plumas County. (The author of these lines didn’t realize that there were several separate Tertiary river systems, not just one “Blue Lead.” - W.P.) In 1855, Chaparral Hill, one and one half miles north of Monte Christo, was struck.

South of Minnesota, on the opposite ridge dividing the Middle Yuba, the miners were not idle in the meantime. Successively, Snow Tent, Moore’s Flat, and the New Orleans Flat had been struck, both as to the hill and hydraulic diggings; and in 1855, the amount of gold taken out on this ridge fell but little short of the other rich ridges north of it. But in the fall of 1855, quite a disaster occurred, between Moore’s and Wolsey’s Flat, by the breaking of a dam, which swept away nearly a quarter of a mile wide of the soil. Yet it is doubtful where the injury was greater than the benefit, because it developed the rich Blue Lead, extending southerly.

In the summer of 1854, LaFayette Hill was struck by the writer; but it has been only a few months that it could be worked, on account of the shortage of water. No less than five different companies had attempted to bring water to the hill, but owing to a very deep gap, it was found too difficult to accomplish, that they successively abandoned the project. At last a company was formed, who have, at very extraordinary expense, succeeded in carrying the water two thirds of the way up the slope, for the bottom of the gap, onto the hillside, and by winding around the hill have accomplished the bringing of the water upon the top of the ridge, one mile below the gap. This is as high as the water can be brought, and other companies are obliged to use other expedients to get their dirt to water. Large “shoots” are formed, below the level of the ditch, and thus they succeeded tolerably well in washing the dirt. LaFayette Hill has hitherto promised to be one of the richest - if not the richest - ridge that has hitherto been struck. The next richest is probably the Mount Vernon divide, which passes through Plum Valley, and extends past, and parallel to, the gravel range of Camptonville. New discoveries in this extremely rich section are still, in 1860, being made. At Plum Valley, on the ranch of Mr. Bope, a stratum of some kind of clay, having no grit, has lately been found, richer than anything reached before.