| Show LUMPS OF GOLD Some of the leading Nuggets Found in California The first nugget of any great importance and which played a prominent part in the early history of California was found by a young soldier of Stevensons regiment in the Mokelumme river while drinking from that stream He hastened to San Francisco Fran-cisco and placed his prize I the hands of Colonel Mason for safety after which it found its way to New York where it annecl the smoldering flame and caused the nations to realize the importance of Cal fornia The nugget weighed between twenty and twenty five pounds In November lS54ta mass of gold was found at Carson Hill Calaveras county which weighed 195 pounds troy This is he largest pece of gold ever found in the state Several other nuggets weighing from six to seven pounds were found in the same locality On the 18th of August I860 a large piece of gold was taken from the Monumental Quartz mine Sierra county which weighed 1596 ounces troy The nugget was purchased pur-chased of the owner by R B Woodward of San Francisco and exhibited at Wood wards gardens Mr Woodward paid 2163652 for it and afterwards melted the nugget realizing 1705494 from it A Mr Strain found a large slabshaped gold quartz nugget near Knapps ranch half a mile east of Columbia Tuolumne county which weighed fifty pounds avoirdupois avoir-dupois After crushing and melting the gold was valued at S500 In 1S49 a nugget was found at Sullivans creek Tuolumno county that weighed twentyeight pounds avoirdupois In 1856 at French Ravine Sierra county a nugget was found which contained considerable con-siderable quartz but yielded 10000 while another was found at an earlier date in 1851 the gold from which was valued at 8000 In the year 1S67 at Pilot Hill El Dorado county a boulder of gold quartz was found which yielded in gold 8000 Several other boulders of smaller size were founc in the same claim The boulders bould-ers were found in what is known as the Boulder gravel claim immediately west of the Pilot Hill postofflce A Mr Virgin and others found a nugget on Gold hill Tuolumne county which weighed 8SO ounces and was valued about 56500 In 1854 a mass of wood weighing 360 ounces and valued at 50625 was found at Columbus Tuolumne county It has been reported that a nugget weighing weigh-ing 266 ounces and valued at 55000 was found at Minnesota Sierra county In 1550 a piece of gold quartz was found French Ravine Sierra county which contained < con-tained 263 oundcs of gold worth 4893 I has been reported that a Frenchman found a nugget of gold in Spring gulch Columbia Toulumne county which was nearly pure gold being worth more than 5000 The Under becameinsane the next day and was sent to Stockton The French consul recovered the nugget realized its value and sent the money to the finders family in France On the 4th day of August 1S5S Ira A VVillard found on the west branch of Feather river a nugget weighing fiftyfour pounds avoirdupois before and fortynine and a half pounds after melting A gold nugget was found date not given near Kelsey El Dorado county which sold for 81700 In 1876 J D Colgrove of Dutch Flat Placer county found a white quartz boulder boul-der in the Polar Star hydraulic mine which contained 557CO worth of gold It has been reported that a nugget of pure I gold was found in the middle fork of the American river two miles from Michigan Bluffs in the year l t4 which weighed twentytwo ounces aud was sold for 4Ot Another account or this nu get states that the weight was 187 ouncas |
