GhostMiner

Most interesting and thank you.

JULY 29 1936 Part Two In the early afternoon we had a quick meeting at camp, Sarge said the head of the snake had been cut off and now the body would die. Once again it was decided for Will and Jacob to guard the camp while the rest of us headed up the mountain. We checked our weapons and headed off on the long hike up towards the hooligans camp. It was clear that all other miners and prospectors had been driven off the mountain and their claims taken by the co operative. There were false claim signs all along the creek now that started just a half mile to the north of our mine. We knocked them down as we went up the mountain. When we got to where the dam had been we could see no further sign of them trying to restore it. We went higher up and ran into one of the crews about three miles north of our camp. There were four men digging buckets near the creek. They had a long wooden tom set up. They looked startled and surprised to see us up there. John hollered at them asking who they stole that claim from? They just looked at each other. One of them said they were just doing what they were told. There were two rifles leaning against a tree not far from them. They saw all of the heavy weapons we carried and didn’t make any attempt to go for them. Sarge told them what had happened at the company office and their time as corrupt miners had ended. They wanted to go up to their camp and get their gear and said they would leave. Sarge told them they were leaving now and without their gear or rifles. He asked them how many more of them were up there. They told him there were 10 more men up at camp working on a cabin that was to be a company outpost. We tied them up good and told them we’d be back for them. We continued up the mountain until we heard the sound of workers talking. It looked like the lot of them were busy constructing a log building. We didn’t see any sign of a guard. Sarge told me and John to circle to the right through the woods and take cover about 100 feet or so from their camp. Sarge said he would circle around to the left and take a post while Ben covered the north ground above and behind them. He said to make sure we had higher ground than the thugs if possible. He would holler out to them In three minutes. That would give us time to get in position. He said that we would give them a chance to surrender but if they wanted a fight we would give them one. TO BE CONTINUED ................

Going to look for the leftovers for sure,

I will post more tomorrow.

JULY 29 1936 Part One Sarge and Ben were wanting a quick conference this morning so I asked them to hold on until we weighed up the gold which came to 2 ounces. We all sat around the morning campfire and drank coffee and discussed our options. Sarge suggested confronting the problem head on rather than constantly having to deal with the harassment caused by the thugs. We all agreed that part of the crew would go to the co operative headquarters which was a few miles away in a remote location. They had an office building set up on a little side road back in the woods way off the main road. There was nothing around for miles. It was decided that Sarge, Ben, John, and me would drive over there in Sarge’s truck. Jacob and Will would guard the camp. When we were finished at their headquarters we would head up the mountain and deal with the camp of hooligans. We armed ourselves and rode over to the headquarters. Upon driving down the side road we saw two trucks parked just outside the office shack. There was no one outside. Sarge pulled his truck crossways on the narrow driveway so as to block it and we got out. We were about 100 feet from the shack. Ben set up the light machine gun off to the side in the woods in good cover while the three of us surrounded the shack. John circled around the back. Sarge was on the other side of the driveway in the woods across from Ben. I stayed behind the truck with my rifle at the ready. Sarge hollered out that we had the office surrounded and we were equipped with heavy weapons. He told them to come out and talk with us and no one would be hurt. If they didn’t come out he said we would open fire on them. After a pause with no response from them he told them they had 30 seconds to come out unarmed and it was the last warning they were going to get. After about 10 seconds they started to come out. There were two of them. I recognised one of them as the man who had come to the mine and threatened us. They looked scared as hell and asked what we wanted. Sarge asked who the main boss was and the older one said he was. Sarge told him their days of terrorizing miners was over and their illegal co operative was finished. The boss said we couldn’t do that and they had every right to organize a co operative of miners and protect them from thieves. Sarge said the only thieves were them. He looked over at where Ben was and gave him a signal. He opened up with the machine gun and riddled one of the trucks. When he stopped the tires were flat and there wasn’t much left of the cab. The two gangsters were lying flat in the dirt and hollering don’t shoot. Sarge walked past them into the doorway of the shack and opened up with the BAR destroying the contents of their office. John went in and removed most of their paperwork and put the contents in the truck. Then Sarge fired another burst into the shack. One of the guys started pleading for us not to shoot them. He said he’d had enough and was finished. Sarge said it was too late for that now. He asked him how many men were at their camp on the mountain. He said there were 14 men working for them up there. John and Ben tied the two thugs up good and threw them in the back of the White and sat back there with them. When we got back to the parking area by the creek below our camp Sarge stopped the truck and got out. He told John and me to head up to camp and wait for them. Then he and Ben drove off with their prisoners. They came back about three hours later. Sarge said the co operative goons were on their way to San Francisco and we wouldn’t be seeing them again. It was the first time I’d seen him laugh. He never said another word to us about what happened to the gangsters and we didn’t ask. The next job was to head up to their camp and clean them out. TO BE CONTINUED ..........................

I suppose he wanted to keep a record of his experiences. The people that had it didn't know anything about him. I have tried to research further but have had no luck. Know any good detectives that work for free?

JULY 28 1936 Once again last night passed without event. Sarge said he wanted to head up to his post and I decided to go up with him and then come back down if all was clear up there. The crew weighed up the gold just before we left camp and we had half an ounce. I told Jacob and Will to start digging and I’d get back to help as soon as I could. When we got near the dam we could hear shovels striking gravels and rock and men talking loudly. The co operative boys were rebuilding the dam and had a good start on it. They must have started working hours before dawn. There looked to be 10 men. Most were working but a couple of them were standing guard but hadn’t seen us. Sarge said we should circle up on high ground to their east where his post was. When we got up there we split apart and I went up just a little further to the north and waited. I heard Sarge yell to get the hell away from the creek or be cut down. Then he opened up with the BAR firing into the ground around them. The workers ran up the mountain and the two armed guards looked confused and were laying flat behind the dam which was about half way built back up. I fired rounds over their heads and there wasn’t enough height in the dam to protect them. Sarge let loose with another burst and the gravel flew all around them. He told them to drop their guns and come out with hands in the air or be cut apart. They threw their rifles out in the open and came out from behind the wall of rock and dirt. He told them to come over near us and get down on their knees which they did. Then he threw two grenades into the dam and took it out. I stayed put and covered him as he walked over to the two guards. Sarge told them they had been warned but didn’t listen. He worked them over but good. When he was finished they were sprawled out on the ground and one was unconscious. He told the other one to take a message back to the co operative. He was used to war and the site of blood didn’t bother him. The next time he caught anyone diverting the creek he would cut them apart. He said we would not tolerate any more activity concerning our claims or the creek. Sarge told me to go ahead and head back to work and he would set up a watch post. So I headed back down the mountain and met Jacob halfway back to camp. He had heard the gun fire and was headed up to help. I told him what happened as we went back down and then we went to work. We dug the rest of the day and didn’t hear any more gun shots. I tried to keep my mind on digging but it was hard not to think of what was going on. With three of us working we got 244 buckets which was a pretty good day. That night at camp we were all talking about the co operative. We agreed that we had to get rid of them by whatever means needed. Sarge and Ben were only going to be here for a couple of weeks. I rolled a Burley and poured a cup of whiskey and started to think of a plan. TO BE CONTINUED ....................

What do you mean?

JULY 27 1936 This morning Sarge and Ben were at their posts before the sun was fully up. John said they loved doing this kind of security work. After a good breakfast we weighed up one ounce of gold. We were ready to start the day when we heard Sarge’s BAR going off way up the mountain. John and me hightailed it up the creek with our rifles as fast as we could. Jacob and Will stayed down at camp and Ben was at his post just south of camp. We heard the BAR barking again and then it was quiet. When we got near the dam area we hollered out for Sarge. He yelled out to get down. We saw him behind some logs on high ground above the dam. John and me spread out a bit and took good cover behind some trees. Sarge hollered over to us saying there were at least 10 guys out there somewhere that had started to rebuild the dam and open up the ditch. He said he fired off a few bursts and drove them back up the mountain. He said they were all armed but didn’t look like they wanted a fight. It didn’t look like they were coming back so we asked Sarge what he wanted us to do. He said to leave John up there with him and I should head back and start working but keep an eye peeled. He figured he’d surprised the co operative crew and scared them off. He said people like that will most likely quit because they have no dog in the fight. So I headed back down and went to work with Jacob while Will worked at the tom. We were a man short but at least we are working. We got a late start but not that late. The trench gravels were dug down another couple of feet and continued to show color on the test pans at the tub. We worked until dusk and got 157 buckets and were dog tired. Sarge and Ben came back to camp before dark and we had a chance to talk about the hooligans. Sarge said they didn’t have the heart to fight but I wasn’t so sure. They are sneaky and might not fight you man to man but could try to get the jump on you. Sarge had a shot of whiskey with me and took his post until Ben relieved him. We are all taking our turns as well. TO BE CONTINUED ...................

A note as I reminisce about Jed's mine. I was thinking back to the first time I was up there. After reading the old report and finding the journal I put a small crew together made up of me, my brother in law, one of my mining partners in the company, and his father. I got there three days ahead of the crew and started setting up camp. I couldn't get my truck up there because Jed's old road had been washed out and overgrown with brush so I carried everything in by hand which took me the entire morning. It was a beautiful day at the end of May. The sun was shining and the temp was about 70 degrees. I checked out the dig site and couldn't believe all the work Jed's crew had done. I had a 10 X 10 Copper Canyon cabin tent and a 2 room shower tent. Showers were taken by leaving a 2 gallon hand pump pressure sprayer sit in the sun all day to heat the water. Meals were mostly MRE's. Kitchen was a propane stove set up on an outdoor table. That night I sat out as it got dark and realized there was no moon. It was so dark I could hardly see my hand infront of my face. I was warned previously about bear and mountain lion in that area and was told there had been some close calls. It's a beautiful place in daytime and creepy as hell at night. The diggings are in a small ravine against the faultline and there are plenty of critters roaming at night. I always carried bear spray and a handgun. The temps drop into the 30's at night early in the season and you wake up and make coffee in the cold mountain air with a heavy smell of pine in your nostrils. The Sierra Nevada mountains will take hold of you quickly & you get hooked. I have camped up there alone several times but won't do it anymore. Too many bears & mountain lion and no cell service. It just feels safer with a group although that may not be the case. Now a day's I camp where Jed's crew camped which is down near the creek a few thousand feet from the mine. Anyway, the second day up there it was a beautiful day again and sunny until late morning when the temp dropped and a hail storm blew in depositing about an inch of chuncky hail on the mine. I just laughed it off and figured Jed would have done the same.

Hello Del. The title has a meaning for sure. Of course I can't give the ending away until the end. Even then there is so much more. Thanks a bunch for reading. I love posting the journal & will be putting another entry on today.

Never ever thought this would be so popular. Hopefully the book does as well this summer. Also thinking of doing some videos of working at Jed's site. Thanks so much!!

For sure!

JULY 26 1936 We started the day with a quick weighing of the gold and had half an ounce in the pan. The night had passed without incident. After breakfast Will and Jacob stayed at camp while John and me took our security team up the mountain. Everyone was well armed to say the least. When we got up to the dam area we could see it had not been touched since we removed it. There were no trespassing signs all over the area but no crew yet. We decided to follow the creek higher up the mountain. After about another mile or so of hiking we came across a crew of miners digging near the side of the creek. There were three of them and they had posted co operative claim signs with no numbers. They spotted us and quickly scrambled over to where their guns were sitting. Sarge hollered out to stop right there and move away from the guns or he’d shoot. They backed away looking more than a bit surprised. Sarge and Ben were pointing a BAR and Thompson at them and John and I had our rifles. I asked them who was in charge. The older man in the group said he was the foreman. I asked him who dammed up the creek down below. He told me they had done it under orders of the co operative boss. I told him they had no legal right to divert the creek and it cost us a day's pay in opening it up again. He looked surprised that we had done that. He said the boss wasn’t going to like it. I told him we intended to keep the creek open and tell his boss that if they divert the creek again they are going to have a problem with us. As I said this Ben fired off a burst from his Thompson into a tree near the crew and gave them a look like we weren’t fooling around anymore. Then we all headed back down the mountain. John chuckled and asked if I saw the look on their faces. He said they were scared as hell. I told him who wouldn’t be? When we got to the dam area Sarge said he would set up a post and watch that area. He told Ben to go down to camp and take up a watch just south of our camp between the main road and camp. That way anyone coming in from either side would be spotted. He told us to keep working as usual and if we heard gunfire to send up two men but keep Ben at his post and two men at camp. We agreed and went back to our jobs. I felt somewhat relieved and Jacob, Will, and me resumed our digging and John worked the tom. With the three of us working as a team we were able to dig 188 buckets even though our day had been shortened. Sarge and Ben will share duties on watch at camp and our crew is helping as well. TO BE CONTINUED ......................

A note on the journal entries here : It was not unusual for gold mining companies to have armed security on site. It was done to protect workers, equipment, and the gold from outlaws. The Wells Fargo stages were prime targets as well. So it may seem a bit crazy to think of what Jed did as far as having heavily armed security on the mine but it was not uncommon. Some foreign countries still deal with situations like Jed's crew is facing. You must remember that they were working in a remote area far from any help. There were no cell phones and the law in that area was far from reliable. To this day not much has changed there. No cell phone connection and the law is far off and unreliable. As is always the case, one must always be responsible for himself and crew as far as safety is concerned. I have found that where there is gold there is often trouble. It's just the way it is.

No. It was someone elses up there but don't know who. Riddled with bullets.

Takes some practice.

I've had the pleasure of firing Thompsons. It's a real experience to say the least.

Ben's weapon. These guys are not kidding around.

Sarge's BAR.

JULY 25 1936 This morning we weighed up an ounce of gold which was a welcome sight and made us all feel a little better. Jacob and me resumed the digging chores and worked the gravel about 5 feet deeper below the raised area. We began to encounter broken country and then rounded channel rock. We made ourselves a short ramp to begin walking out buckets at this depth. I panned a few samples and saw nice color. Late in the afternoon John’s friend Sarge and Ben had arrived at the camp. Jacob and me knocked off early with a total of 97 buckets for the day. We all helped our new security men set up their camps and got acquainted after supper. Ben was a neighbor of Sarge and had served under him in the war and acted as though he was still his sergeant. Sarge was a gruff character and I got the impression he didn’t take any nonsense from anyone. I could see why he and John were good friends. They had come well prepared and packed heavy weapons. Sarge had an M1918 BAR from his Army days that was able to lay down heavy fire. He also had a light machine gun and service rifle. On his hip was a Browning hi power semi auto pistol. He also brought a box of grenades. Ben carried an Enfield six shooter in his holster and brought a shotgun as well as a Thompson sub machine gun. Sarge had an old White military surplus truck with a hidden floor that housed a gun safe where he kept his weapons. I thought to myself that these guys are not fooling around. As it was getting near dark the plan was to take Sarge and Ben up to the dam area in the morning for a look and let them decide how to deploy. I watched Sarge set up an observation post near camp and drank some whiskey with the crew. John said he was going to sit out in camp on watch for awhile as well and Ben would take the second half of the shift. TO BE CONTINUED ....................

One more thing. It is great that Clay took the time to educate and post this info for everyone. Many thanks.

A fair amount LOL.

Clay is the man! Great info and yes, I pay my share of taxes on land the claims are on. We need more people like Clay for sure.

Some tough guys on the way. War vets.