** Lost Gold At The Dead Man's Mine ** A Miners Journal **

[GhostMiner]

   OCTOBER   5   1936

   Last night wasn’t quite as cold as we have been seeing and the snow is nearly gone. We all had a good breakfast while sitting around our campfire and waited on the sun to do It’s work. By early afternoon things were melting off pretty good so I told Dutch to keep a watch on camp while the crew hiked up the mountain to get the last of our work done. John laughed and said we should wash gravels for a couple of hours one last time. I think I surprised him when I said let’s do it. So Will and Jacob fired up the pumps and got what little ice was in the lines out and me, John, and Hudson shoveled some gravels. It was about 2:00 in the afternoon and the pit had some water in the bottom but we worked away for about three hours and cleaned up the tom. I told John we’d carry the heavies down to camp in buckets and do the last weigh in the morning. Then we broke down the tom and hopper and unhooked the lines from the pumps. Will drained the lines and the rest of us got busy hauling down the tom, hopper, and pumps as well as the buckets of pay to be panned. It was past dark by the time it was all done. I said well boys, we are all done with mining for this year. With that we stoked the campfire, made supper, and did us some drinking. We were all pretty much bushed.

   TO BE CONTINUED ...................

[GhostMiner]

Hello Delnorter. Are you still reading the journal? 

[rvpopeye]

THX for posting it here ! 🖖

Best of luck this season 🍀

[Tahoegold]

Thanks Ghost Miner for taking the time to write this!!!

[GhostMiner]

2 hours ago, Tahoegold said:

Thanks Ghost Miner for taking the time to write this!!!

Still a little more to go today before the end.

[GhostMiner]

   OCTOBER 6   1936

   I was up early again this morning and started fixing a big breakfast for the crew. We had ourselves a feast of bacon, beans, hot water corn bread, and biscuits. And plenty of coffee. Of course I sweetened mine with Bushmills. Then we all gathered around and did the last weigh for the year and we got one ounce. Dutch was amazed and said he was hooked on gold and could hardly wait to work with us next year, hopefully as one of the mining crew. I tallied up the gold on the ledger I kept and we had 1072 ounces for our season. This was the first time Hudson and Dutch knew we had made so much gold and they just looked at each other speechless. I was happy and sad at the same time. I think that’s the way everyone felt about it. I shook hands with each man in camp and looked them in the eye. I told them we had achieved what very few miners ever have done. I was proud of all of them and also Sarge and Ben. Then we all said a prayer for Whiskey Jack and I poured a cup and set it on his empty camp chair. I just knew that wherever he was there was gold in his pan.

   So we gathered up the crew's camp gear and put it on the truck and I drove into town with Jacob ,  John, and me in the cab and Dutch, Will, and Hudson rode in the back with the gear. The truck was loaded down good and we all barely fit. I dropped everyone off at the train station and some would have to make a bus connection also. We all said our goodbyes and shook hands saying we’ll do it all again next year. I turned and took one last look at them before they began to disperse. It was hard to see them go. Then I went over to the general store and bought some supplies.

   When I got back to camp it was getting on towards supper time and I fixed a plate of beans and poured a cup of whiskey. I sat by the fire and the stars were coming out and it was getting cold. It just doesn’t seem the same without the crew here and It’s mighty quiet. I’ve got my rifle by my side and I’m drinking Bushmills alone tonight. It’s just like I started. I’m looking over at Whiskey Jack’s empty camp chair and thinking about how much I miss him. My gold is secure about an hour away from camp and the whiskey is tasting mighty good tonight. Tomorrow I’m going to drive out to my hiding spot and check on my gold cache. 

   TO BE CONTINUED ...................

[GhostMiner]

                                 EPILOGUE 

 

   At this point there were no further writings in the journal. Several days after the last entry Jed Stevens was found dead. His body had been discovered by some hunters about twenty miles from his claims. He had been shot through the back of the head and was lying on the ground near a large boulder. There was a small hole that had been dug out underneath it but when the hunters searched there was nothing there. He was identified and law enforcement notified his brother of his tragic death. Evidently he had been murdered for his gold. The perpetrators were never found. It is said that his ghost haunts the mine to this day. 

 

   A NOTE TO READERS :    Be sure to watch for the next edition of this series as the 

                                            miners return to the claims and resume their adventures in

                                            the search for gold. 

 

                                                        See you up in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

 

                                                                              GhostMiner

   

[GhostMiner]

So long Jed. I know you & Whiskey Jack are up there somewhere finding gold once again. 

 

[GhostMiner]

   Delnorter won the gold contest with his guess of 890 ounces. He was closest without going over. Jed's crew ended up with 1072 ounces for the 1936 season. 

[GhostMiner]

  Thanks to all the readers of the journal. It was the experience of a lifetime for me. See you in the Fall for Season 2.