New Release —WINTER SILENCE byVella Munn

If she could, Carrie Walsh would live anywhere except Eagle Canyon, an isolated gold mining camp deep in the mountains of California. Forced into marriage by her father to a brute of a man, she has no choice but to do as her husband, George, has commanded. Two things keep Carrie from feeling despondent in this desperate situation—the rough, quiet loner known only as Nevada, who is George’s business partner, and the tiny life inside her.

Under sudden, questionable circumstances, Carrie becomes a widow. But what can she do to survive? The harsh winter has them snowed in, and she’s trapped. Though Nevada is suspected of murdering George, Carrie is still drawn to him, and he has vowed to make sure she and the child to come have a roof over their heads.

But Nevada has secrets and a past that haunts him. Can he dare to love Carrie—or hope she might love him? The truth about George could destroy Carrie—and eventually, her child. Nevada should run while he can—if he’s locked up, he’ll die. But this new feeling of wanting to belong somewhere, to be accepted, is something he can’t put aside. Is that dream worth risking his freedom and heart for in this deadly WINTER SILENCE?

EXCERPT

  Carrie fell asleep curled in the rocker. A little after ten, she undressed, ran her fingers over the cover on the feather bed she shared with George, and tried to convince herself to get into it where smells and memories waited. Instead, she returned to the rocker and made herself as comfortable as possible. Despite the kink in her neck, she couldn't rouse herself enough to try to do anything about it. Neither could she talk herself into extinguishing the lantern and letting darkness surround her.

When she first heard the sound, she thought a strong gust had struck the door. Then, it was repeated, hard thuds that chased all sleep from her mind. She jumped to her feet, her hand going to her throat. "Who is it?" she called out, hating the fear in her voice.

"Carrie, it's me."

Nevada. She was halfway across the room before it dawned on her that George and he couldn't have walked all the way to and from Grass Valley in this amount of time, and she couldn’t imagine Nevada turning back once he'd started something. She opened the door and let him in along with a swirl of icy wind and snow. His face in the lantern light had a slightly bruised look. His eyes, nearly buried in their deep sockets, burned with something. She should look behind him for her husband but couldn't think how to free herself from Nevada's gaze. Not for the first time his expression held her; held, and refused to let go.

"What is it?" she asked.

     

Lock'em Up- SONORA'S TUOLUMNE COUNTY JAIL by Zina Abbott

Sonora, like so many other gold mining towns in California, found the lure of gold brought hoodlums along with the gold miners to a predominately male population that for the most part disregarded the social controls they had learned at home. It lead to overwhelming law enforcement problems. In 1850 alone, Tuolumne County, with Sonora as its principle community, dealt with 30 murders. Twelve took place within one week.

1866 Downtown Sonora, California

The need of a jail in this largely lawless land became apparent. However, housing was at a premium. The first means of securing prisoners was to chain them to a large oak tree.  Next, the inhabitants constructed a 20' X 50' log building.  Due to the number of escapes from this building, it was deemed not secure enough for a jail.

Bradford Street, Sonora - near Sonora Creek and Jail 

In early 1853, the county purchased a building on the north bank of Sonora Creek. This served as its jail until 1857 when the public demanded something be done to prevent frequent escapes and provide healthier quarters for prisoners.  As a result of the 1856 Grand Jury report, the Board of Supervisors purchased two city lots on which to build a county jail.  B. Stout's bid for $13,300 was accepted and the work began.  Completed in 1857, the final cost of the jail was $20,186.

Jail cell-ctsy Tuolumne Co. Historical Soc.

Inside Jail-ctsy Tuolumne Co. Historical Soc.

On December 20, 1865, the newly built jail was destroyed by a fire set by a prisoner.  Using salvaged material, the present structure was rebuilt by J. D. Patterson for $8,400.  On September 19, 1866, the displaced prisoners were transferred to the new jail by Sheriff Bourland.

The Tuolumne County jail was used continuously from 1857 to 1961.

Side of old Tuolumne County Jail-ctsy of Tuolumne Co. Historical Society

The jail is also an example of city and county cooperation to avoid duplication of public services.  The two cell blocks, one of which was divided into two parts, allowed for the incarceration of women and juveniles and also city prisoners as the occasion arose.  This flexibility accommodated all types of prisoners in a single facility with a minimum of supervisory staff.  This supervision included the sheriff and sometimes his deputy, and later, a jailer.
 

Criss-crossed Iron Bars used on cell doors and windows- 

Courtesy of Tuolumne County Historical Society

The jail walls were constructed using two thicknesses of red brick.  All of the doors and windows had iron bars and shutters to provide security and air.  From the old Western movies, we think of jail cells having bars. However, typical of jails of the time, the Tuolumne jail had doors and windows with criss-crossed iron strips. The brick walls were set on a foundation of well laid schist rock.

The jail yard, which served as the prisoners' exercise yard, was enclosed by a high brick wall. Family quarters were an important part of the jail. The sheriff and his family lived in a building attached to the jail. Often the sheriff's wife was contracted to provide meals for the inmates. Also, she acted at the matron for female prisoners.

By 1960, the old jail was obsolete and a new jail was constructed one block to the north.  Shortly after use was discontinued, the building became the Tuolumne County Museum.   Used for its original purpose and limited in the number of its alterations for so long, the museum building remains a good example of the jails built to house prisoners during the county's first hundred years. 

Current Tuolumne County Historical Society in old Tuolumne County Jail 

The majority of the information for this post was taken from the Tuolumne Historical Society's website. For more information on the jail in Sonora, California, please visit their site at this link:   https://www.tchistory.org/TCHISTORY/Jail_Print.htm

Anyone who has not yet read my Eastern Sierra Brides 1884 series which takes place just on the other side of the Sierra Nevada mountains from Columbia and Sonora, you may enjoy my first two books in the Eastern Sierra Brides 1884 series. You may find the first book in the series, Big Meadow Valentine, by CLICKING HERE.

The second book, A Resurrected Heart, is about the April resurrection day in the gold mining town of Lundy, but it has nothing to do with Easter. You may find this book by CLICKING HERE.

Early History of Sacramento, California

The history of Sacramento, California, began with its founding by Samuel Brannan  and John Augustus Sutter, Jr. in 1848 around an embarcadero constructed by Sutter’s father, John A. Sutter, Sr., at the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers few years prior.

John A. Sutter, Sr. had developed New Helvetia as part of a Spanish Land Grant. However, after the conclusion of the Mexican-American War in 1848, Sutter's New Helvetia fell under U.S. control. A short eight years later, New Helvetia possessed a new name, Sacramento, named after the river that ran on the west side of the community, and it rose in prominence to become the capitol of the state of California.

When news of the gold discovery in Coloma reached San Francisco, a rush of hopeful prospectors began to move northwards to the Sacramento Valley, and by the middle of the year, so-called "Argonauts" flooded Sutter's holdings in search of gold. The arrival of Argonauts in the region decimated the economical integrity of Sutter's New Helvetia, as the prospectors slaughtered his herds of livestock, drove out local Native Americans loyal to Sutter, and divided New Helvetia amongst each other without Sutter's consent. Disappointed with what had become of his holdings, Sutter placed his son as head of fort business operations and retired to a different location. The real city of Sacramento was developed around a wharf, called the Embarcadero, on the confluence of the American River and Sacramento River that Sutter had developed prior to his retirement in 1849.

The junior Sutter worked to organize the city in its growth. Seeing what he considered a viable commercial opportunity in the Embarcadero, Sutter, Jr. invited military officials William H. Warner and his assistant, William Tecumseh Sherman, to survey his father's holdings for a location where he could establish a new city and create the city over a grid of numbered and lettered streets for organizational purposes. A number of businessmen, including millionaire-to-be Samuel Brannan, future California governor Peter Burnett, and George McDougall, brother of future California governor John McDougall, were attracted to the waterfront location. However, Sutter, Jr. and George McDougall disagreed over the terms of the lease of the location, and a trade war erupted between Sutter's Sacramento City and McDougall's new base of operations at Sutterville. Sutter, Sr., who had opposed many of his son's decisions, resumed control of his business affairs after Sutter, Jr. ended the competition between the two cities; trade in the area was biased toward Sacramento City as a result of Sutter, Jr.'s efforts.

Sacramento City did not have a formal government during early and mid-1849, and gambling institutions in the region sought to keep only the loose alcalde government. Unlike other settlements of its time and type, during the first few months of existence, Sacramento City did not have gambling houses and saloons until the summer of 1849. However, many city residents were swayed in favor of the gambling houses; by the fall of that year, the entire legal structure of Sacramento City was established by a large 296-vote margin on a second proposal. 

The government of California had only just reorganized itself into county units; days after the overhaul, the California State Legislature verified that Sacramento was officially recognized by means of charter in February 1850. Sacramento City later petitioned the Legislature to drop the "City" from the settlement's name, which was also granted. Sacramento City was serviced by organized public transportation via the rivers and upheld regular street maintenance by 1850.

 

Early Catholic Church, Sacramento

Churches also appeared early on when the Methodist Episcopalian pastor W. Grove Deal established the first church with regular services in May 1849. Catholic reverend Augustine Anderson arrived in 1850 and constructed a church in 1854, while Jews founded a synagogue called Congregation B'Nai Israel in 1852. In 1849, Edward C. Kemble moved north from San Francisco and established the city's first newspaper, The Placer Times. Kemble's newspaper disassembled three months later when Kemble was stricken with sickness. The first Sacramento theatrical stage, located in the Eagle Theatre (Sacramento, California), was founded in October 1849. The first school was organized in 1853.

However, its location caused the city to periodically fill with water. In January 1850, a major flood devastated the city. Rain from heavy storms had saturated the grounds upon which Sacramento was built, and the American and Sacramento rivers crested simultaneously.

The economic impact was significant because merchandise stationed at the Embarcadero was not secured and washed away in the flood. To resolve the problems, the city sought to resolve these problems by raising the sidewalks and buildings. Sacramento rallied behind Hardin Bigelow, who led efforts to implement emergency measures to protect the city from another disaster of that nature. Responsibility for construction of protective levees and dams won him support, and he was elected first mayor of the city. A second major flood in March 1850 was averted by Bigelow's efforts.

Fires also plagued the city. In April of the same year, the city experienced its first major fire. A second fire in November destroyed a number of commercial establishments in the city. In response to growing fear of a potential catastrophe, citizen volunteers founded California's first fire protection organization, named the "Mutual Hook and Ladder Company."

 

1852 Sacramento Fire-Hugo Wilhelm Arthur Nahl

October 1850 brought the arrival of the New World, a riverboat that carried news of California's admittance to the Union. It also brought the cholera epidemic that killed between 800 and 1,000 people within three weeks including between a quarter to half of the city's physicians. Nearly eighty percent of the population fled. Bodies were buried in mass graves at cemeteries across the city.

By 1852, Sutter's New Helvetia had collapsed completely, and Sutter's Fort had been abandoned. Sacramento's commerce had become reliant on coins, and the city had outgrown its unstable Gold Rush boomtown status and established itself as a full-fledged community. The Embarcadero, which had driven the growth of Sacramento from the start, no longer solely determined if the city would survive or be abandoned.

The year 1852 saw a diversification in Sacramento’s economy; pharmacies, attorney firms, brass foundries, and lingerie shops, among others, lined the streets of the city during this era. Additionally, companies were beginning to take advantage of the fish populations in the American and Sacramento Rivers, a resource that Sutter had discovered and utilized during the era of New Helvetia. The Central Valley's capacity for agriculture was also noted, and wheat surpluses that had originated in the Sacramento area were often shipped to foreign countries.

However, the city suffered a major fire the night of November 4, 1852, and nearly 85% of the city was destroyed in the fire. Like many gold field towns in the state, they also began to replace wooden structures with more fire-resistant materials like brick, stone and iron. The city adapted by implementing iron window shutters to reduce wind draft and make fires harder to spread. A second fire in 1854 destroyed twelve newly reconstructed downtown city blocks, including the city courthouse.

Sacramento Fire Department

California State Capitol

The American state of California's government met in Monterey in late 1849, the capital of the former Alta California, to conduct the first State Constitutional Convention; the seat of government was set in San Jose, although the government disliked the locale. Former Mexican general Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo promised a viable capital city at Vallejo in 1852. Vallejo was unable to sufficiently construct the city of Vallejo, and the government was moved to the city of Sacramento temporarily; after Vallejo failed again, he released himself from his contract to the state, and the government moved to Benicia until Sacramento made a bid for the capital that the Legislature accepted completely in 1854. The same year, the state legislature voted to make Sacramento the permanent state capital. Construction on the California State Capitol commenced in 1860; the structure would take fourteen years to complete.

~o0o~

November weddings can inspire feelings of thankfulness, but sometimes the parties and their families must work out a few kinks first. If you have not already ready read Bridgeport Holiday Brides, you may enjoy learning how two sweet romances end, and how a wedding almost didn't happen. Please CLICK HERE to learn more about the book and for the purchase link.

Zina Abbott is thankful she may enjoy her Thanksgiving holiday with her family near the Gateway to Yosemite.

 

James Marshall, the Man Who Discovered Gold in California

James Marshall's discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in California in 1848 started the California Gold Rush.

Born in 1810, Marshall followed in his father's footsteps by becoming a skilled carpenter and wheelwright. When his father died in 1834, he headed westward, spending some time in Illinois and Indiana before in 1844  settling in Missouri in an area created by the Platte Purchase. There he began farming along the Missouri River where he contracted malaria, a common affliction in the area. On the advice of his doctor, Marshall left Missouri in the hopes of improving his health.

Marshall joined an emigrant train heading west and arrived in Oregon's Willamette Valley in the spring of 1845. He left Oregon in June 1845 and headed south along the Siskiyou Trail into California, eventually reaching Sutter's Fort, California in mid-July. The founder of Sutter's Fort, an agricultural settlement. Sutter was also the alcalde of the area, as California was still a Mexican possession in 1845. Sutter hired Marshall to assist with work at the sawmill, and around the fort (carpentry, primarily). He also helped Marshall to buy two leagues of land on the north side of Butte Creek, which is a tributary of the Sacramento River, and provided him with cattle. It was here that Marshall began his second stint as a farmer.

 

Replica of Bear Flag Revolt flag

Soon after this, the Mexican-American War began in May 1846. Marshall volunteered and served under Captain John C. Frémont's California Battalion during the Bear Flag Revolt. When he left the battalion and returned to his ranch in early 1847, he found that all his cattle had either strayed or been stolen. With his sole source of income gone, Marshall lost his land.

Marshall soon entered into a partnership with Sutter for the construction of a sawmill. Marshall was to oversee the construction and operation of the mill, and would in return receive a portion of the lumber. After scouting nearby areas for a suitable location, he eventually decided upon Coloma, located roughly 40 miles (64 km) upstream of Sutter's Fort on the American River. He proposed his plan to Sutter, and construction began in late August. His crew consisted mainly of local Native Americans and veterans of the Mormon Battalion on their way to Salt Lake City, Utah. 

The caption with this photo at the Library of Congress claims that this was Marshall in front of the mill in 1850. However, it was not. The historians at Marshall Gold State Historic Park have concluded that it is not Marshall and believe it to be the photographer's assistant put in the photo to show scale.

It was at the sawmill that, on January 24, 1848, he discovered gold in the water flow through the mill’s tail race. The following is Marshall’s account:

I picked up one or two pieces and examined them attentively; and having some general knowledge of minerals, I could not call to mind more than two which in any way resembled this, sulphuret of iron, very bright and brittle; and gold, bright, yet malleable. I then tried it between two rocks, and found that it could be beaten into a different shape, but not broken. I then collected four or five pieces and went up to Mr. Scott (who was working at the carpenter's bench making the mill wheel) with the pieces in my hand and said, "I have found it."

         "What is it?" inquired Scott.

         "Gold," I answered.

         "Oh! no," replied Scott, "That can't be."

         I said,--"I know it to be nothing else."

The metal was confirmed to be gold after members of Marshall's crew performed tests on the metal—boiling it in a lye solution and hammering it to test its malleability. Marshall, still primarily concerned with the completion of the sawmill, permitted his crew to search for gold during their free time.

Sutter's Fort

By the time Marshall returned to Sutter's Fort, four days later, the war had ended and California was about to become an American possession. Marshall shared his discovery with Sutter, who performed further tests on the gold and told Marshall that it was "of the finest quality, of at least 23 karat, or 96% pure.

The following is John Sutter’s account:

It was a rainy afternoon when Mr. Marshall arrived at my office in the Fort, very wet. I was somewhat surprised to see him, as he was down a few days previous; and then, I sent up to Coloma a number of teams with provisions, mill irons, etc., etc. He told me then that he had some important and interesting news which he wished to communicate secretly to me, and wished me to go with him to a place where we should not be disturbed, and where no listeners could come and hear what we had to say. I went with him to my private rooms; he requested me to lock the door; I complied, but I told him at the same time that nobody was in the house except the clerk, who was in his office in a different part of the house; after requesting of me something which he wanted, which my servants brought and then left the room, I forgot to lock the doors, and it happened that the door was opened by the clerk just at the moment when Marshall took a rag from his pocket, showing me the yellow metal: he had about two ounces of it; but how quick Mr. Marshall put the yellow metal in his pocket again can hardly be described. The clerk came to see me on business, and excused himself for interrupting me, and as soon as he had left I was told, "now lock the doors; didn't I tell you that we might have listeners?" I told him that he need fear nothing about that, as it was not the habit of this gentleman; but I could hardly convince him that he need not to be suspicious. Then Mr. Marshall began to show me this metal, which consisted of small pieces and specimens, some of them worth a few dollars; he told me that he had expressed his opinion to the laborers at the mill, that this might be gold; but some of them were laughing at him and called him a crazy man, and could not believe such a thing.

After having proved the metal with aqua fortis, which I found in my apothecary shop, likewise with other experiments, and read the long article "gold" in the Encyclopedia Americana, I declared this to be gold of the finest quality, of at least 23 carats. After this Mr. Marshall had no more rest nor patience, and wanted me to start with him immediately for Coloma; but I told him I could not leave as it was late in the evening and nearly supper time, and that it would be better for him to remain with me till the next morning, and I would travel with him, but this would not do: he asked me only "will you come tomorrow morning?"  

I told him yes, and off he started for Coloma in the heaviest rain, although already very wet, taking nothing to eat. I took this news very easy, like all other occurrences good or bad, but thought a great deal during the night about the consequences which might follow such a discovery. I gave all my necessary orders to my numerous laborers, and left the next morning at 7 o'clock, accompanied by an Indian soldier, and vaquero, in a heavy rain, for Coloma.

About half way on the road I saw at a distance a human being crawling out from the brushwood. I asked the Indian who it was: he told me "the same man who was with you last evening." When I came nearer I found it was Marshall, very wet; I told him that he would have done better to remain with me at the fort than to pass such an ugly night here but he told me that he went up to Coloma, (54 miles) took his other horse and came half way to meet me; then we rode up to the new Eldorado.

In the afternoon the weather was clearing up, and we made a prospecting promenade. The next morning we went to the tail-race of the mill, through which the water was running during the night, to clean out the gravel which had been made loose, for the purpose of widening the race; and after the water was out of the race we went in to search for gold.

This was done every morning: small pieces of gold could be seen remaining on the bottom of the clean washed bed rock. I went in the race and picked up several pieces of this gold, several of the laborers gave me some which they had picked up, and from Marshall I received a part. I told them that I would get a ring made of this gold as soon as it could be done in California; and I have had a heavy ring made, with my family's cost of arms engraved on the outside, and on the inside of the ring is engraved, "The first gold, discovered in January, 1848." Now if Mrs. Wimmer possesses a piece which has been found earlier than mine Mr. Marshall can tell, as it was probably received from him. I think Mr. Marshall could have hardly known himself which was exactly the first little piece, among the whole.

 

Marshall's Discovery Site Today

The next day I went with Mr. Marshall on a prospecting tour in the vicinity of Coloma, and the following morning I left for Sacramento. Before my departure I had a conversation with all hands: I told them that I would consider it as a great favor if they would keep this discovery secret only for six weeks, so that I could finish my large flour mill at Brighton, which had cost me already about from 24 to 25,000 dollars - the people up there promised to keep it secret so long. On my way home, instead of feeling happy and contented, I was very unhappy, and could not see that it would benefit me much, and I was perfectly right in thinking so; as it came just precisely as I expected.

As word quickly spread, some 80,000 miners flooded the area, extending up and down the length of the Sacramento Valley, and overrunning Sutter’s domain. Ironically, neither Sutter nor Marshall ever profited from the discovery that should have made them independently wealthy. Though Marshall tried to secure his own claims in the gold fields, he was unsuccessful. His sawmill also failed, as every able-bodied man took off in search of gold. Soon, the area surrounding Sutter's Mill became the first mining boom town in California - Coloma.

Embittered, Marshall left the area, drifting from place to place in California, looking for yet another rich strike. In 1857, he returned to Coloma and started a vineyard in the early 1860's. Initially profitable, his endeavors as a vintner would also fail when, by the end of the decade, increased competition and less demand put him out of business once again.

Marshall then returned to prospecting and wandering about the state. He soon partnered up with another miner in a gold mine near Kelsey, California. However, the development of the mine proved expensive and yielded nothing, leaving the unlucky Marshall once again close to bankruptcy.  

In 1872, Marshall had a turn of luck when the California State Legislature awarded him a two-year pension in recognition of his role in an important era in California history.

The pension was renewed in 1874 and 1876, but lapsed in 1878. According to the legend, Marshall then went to visit the legislature assembly in person to get the pension renewed again. However, when a brandy bottle dropped from his pocket and rolled on the floor, no additional pension was awarded.

 

Marshall cabin in Coloma

Marshall continued to live in Kelsey, in a spartan homesteader's cabin, earning money from a small garden until his death on August 10, 1885. His body was then taken to Coloma and buried on the property where he had owned his vineyard.

In 1886, the members of the Native Sons of the Golden West, Placerville Parlor #9 felt that the "Discoverer of Gold" deserved a monument to mark his final resting place. In May 1890, five years after Marshall's death, Placerville Parlor #9 of the Native Sons of the Golden West successfully advocated the idea of a monument to the State Legislature, which appropriated a total of $9,000 for the construction of a monument and tomb which can be seen today, the first such monument erected in California. A statue of Marshall stands on top of the monument, pointing to the spot where he made his discovery in 1848. The monument was rededicated October 8, 2010 by the Native Sons of the Golden West, Georgetown Parlor #91 in honor of the 200th Anniversary of James W. Marshall's birth.

Sources:

© Kathy Weiser/Legends of America, updated May, 2017; http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ca-jamesmarshall.html

John A. Sutter, 1857. Compiled and edited by Kathy Weiser/Legends of America, updated April, 2017; http://www.legendsofamerica.com/ca-suttergold.html

Wikipedia

Zina Abbott is the pen name used by Robyn Echols for her historical western romances. Five of her books in the Eastern Sierra Brides 1884 series, , Big Meadows Valentine, A Resurrected Heart, Her Independent Spirit, Haunted by Love  and Bridgeport Holiday Brides, have been published by Prairie Rose Publications and are available. A sixth full-size novel, Luck Joy Bride, is in the works.