Fryeburg Academy - Academy Bell Yearbook (Fryeburg, ME)

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26 THE' ACADEMY BELL Oregon and California. Some of these men had already traveled over a thousand miles to get to the Middle West from the East and now were anxious to try their fortunes on the Pacific Coast. It was in the spring of this same year that gold was discovered in California. In the Sacramento Valley, on a fork of the American river, about a hundred miles northeast of San Francisco, a mill race for a sawmill was being dug for Captain Sutter. It was while digging for this mill race that two men found some shining, yellowish metal. They took this metal to Colonel Mason, who was left in charge of California at the close of the Mexican War. The General examined one or two pieces. It was gold, real gold, that shining metal for which thousands have laid down their lives and for which many have tried the cleverest swindling schemes to obtain. As soon as this news was spread abroad, every man for miles around who could possibly get away, bought a shovel and started off to dig his fortune. That spring the homes were left unbuilt and the fields were left unplowed, for everyone had the gold fever. When news of the discovery of this gold reached the Middle West the desire of the people to try their fortunes in the far West was such as it had never been before. So when in the next spring of 1849, emigration by land and sea began toward California, the majority of the people were struck by this gold fever, while a few were still desirous of getting to this new land so that they might try their plows in new soil. So great was the desire to get westward that the people faced all sorts of hardships to get to the promised land. At this period there were no railways, not even good roads. The only roads were trails which had been blazed by the Indians during their travels from one section of the country to another. Some of the people went by the way of the Isthmus of Panama, others went around Cape Horn, while many of them went by land, going through wilderness. Those who went by land travelled in wagons, covered with white can- vas, which were drawn by horses and oxen.

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THE ACADEMY BELL 25 THE DEATH OF JIM Mc-KAY ' Out on the burning wastes of the Arizona desert, where the sun shone down with merciless heat, there walked the figure of a man with his burro. As he trudged along, he seemefl to be near exhaustion. His skin was hidden beneath the alkali dust which coated his features, while his tongue was swollen and his mouth hung open, caked with dust. The burro, more dead than alive, seemed to move in a trance. An hour passed, then suddenly the man dropped as in a faint. The burro stopped and stood lazily waving its ears as if to keep 05 some insect. Hours later, when the sun was gone and darkness reigned, the figure on the sand moved, dragged itself to a sitting posture, then to its feet. As you saw him in the half light, he showed himself to be Jim McKay, a prospector who had come to the desert, unknown, two years before. He was perhaps sixty years of age. His clothes, which hung torn and soiled, made him look like the hermit of some child's story-book. Finding the burro near, he approached it and took the Winchester from its scabbard on the left side of the animal. I-Ie then shot the burro and, going away a short distance, sat down. Next, from the pocket of his shirt he took a pencil, notebook, and the photograph of a beautiful girl of about eighteen. This done, he sat for a long time looking at the photograph. After placing the picture beside him he took the notebook and wrote for some time. Then putting the pencil and notebook back into the pocket, he took the rifle, pressed the muzzle to his temple, picked up the photograph, and pulled the trigger. As that shot rang out across the desert, the spirit of Jim McKay passed into the great beyondg and all was still. F. A. BAssETT, '30. THE DISCOVERY OF COLD IN CALIFORNIA AND THE R E SULTS With the close of the Mexican War in 1848 came the desire of the men from the Middle West to go as far as

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THIS JCADEMY BELL 27 Men, eager for gold and anxious to see this wonderful land of which they had heard so much, did not hesitate to take their wives and small children on this hazardous trip. Regardless of wind or weather, this mighty wagon train must go on and on over the scorching plains of the Middle West. Many died of sickness and exposure during this steady march. They left a trail behind, which was marked by the skeletons of horses and oxen and by empty food boxes which were thrown out. Men died and children were born in this white caravan, but the wagon train went steadily on. Sometimes they were met by unfriendly Indians and this meant the burning of wagons, stealing of food, and often loss of life. Eagerness for wealth inspired bad men as well as good to brave the many hardships in order that they might, too, get to this land of wealth and dig their fortunes from the soil of California. At times the bad men made serious trouble, but in California a Vigilance Committee, organized from the best people of the land, soon taught them that life and property must be respected. Sometimes these wagon trains would meet friendly Indians and trade with them. Rivers that were too deep and dangerous to be crossed by the emigrants sometimes had ferry boats piloted by Indians who would take the wagon across for pay. These wagon trains did not stop in order that the drivers might rest, but men and women would take their turn at driving while others slept in the covered wagon that seemed to rumble eternally on. Of course it was often necessary to stop so that the horses and oxen might be refreshed. These stops were usually made in the nightg and while the horses and oxen were resting, crude overnight camps were made, where the luxury of a bed was not known. Thus by patience, energy, and determination, a small percentage of the people who started out finally reached California, their promised land of gold. Although many of the people died, there were about a hundred thousand who reached this state, within two years, in search of their fortunes.