California Gold -- the Diary of James M. Burr, 1851 - 1853

Part V, August 19th, 1852 - December 12th, 1852

Andrea Franzius

Thursday Augst 19th
Employd as usal Heaving up Dirt for winter when Rain comes.

Friday 20th
Employd Ditching & Heaving up Dirt as usal for winter

Saturday 21
Employd & finished Our Lower Claim for the present afternoon washing

Sunday 22
Spent as all Sabbaths

Monday 23d
Employd Heaving up Dirt

Tuesday 24th
Employd as usal. Heaving up Dirt & Prospecting for Gold. Weather warm

Wednesday 25th
Employd Heaving up Dirt

Thursday 26
Employd in Heaving up Dirt in the Little Ravine Back of the Cabin

Friday 27th
Employd Heaving up Dirt in the Little Ravine Back of Cabin

Saturday Augst 28th
Employd part of the Day in heaving up Dirt Ballance in washing &c

Sunday 29th
Spent as all Sabbaths went over to Hangtown. Saw a great many Emigrant Families coming in &c

Monday 30th
This day not doing much. Unwell

Tuesday 31st
Employd part of the day Digging

Wednesday Sept 1st
Employd Digging as usal

Thursday 2d
Employd as usal Digging

Friday 3d
Employd Digging & Heaving up Dirt at Night. Had a [...?] Dream Somebody Requesting me to note it Down

Saturday 4th
Employd part of the day Digging the Ballance washing Got the [news] of the Cholera Raging at Sacramento & around us

Sunday Sept 5th
This day Spent as all Sabbaths

Monday 6th
Employd day in Digging &c

Tuesday 7th
This day as the rest at work Mining

Wednesday 8
Employd Heaving up Dirt as usal

Thursday 9th
Employd Heaving up Dirt

Friday 10th
Employd Heaving up Dirt as usal upon the Lower Claim

Saturday 11th
This day was spent partly in Digging afternoon in washing & Mending &c

Sunday 12th
This as all Sabbaths Spent in Reading writing &c. Weather fine & Pleasent

Monday 13th
Employd Heaving up Dirt upon the Claim

Tuesday 14th
Employd heaving up Dirt as usal

Wednesday 15th
Employd Heaving up Dirt

Thursday 16th
Employd as usal Heaving up Dirt

Friday 17th
Employd upon Our Claim Ditching & Heaving up Dirt as usal

Saturday 18th
Employd part of the day upon the Claim & part in washing & Mending

Sunday 19th
This day was Spent as all Sabbaths. Doct Hunter & family arrived Here from across the Plains Illinois Belville

Monday 20th
Employd this day in Heaving up Dirt Ditching &c Prepairing for water

Tuesday 21st
Employd as Yesterday Mining

Wednesday 22d
Employd as usal Mining upon Our Lower Claim Prepairing for Rains

Thursday 23d
Employd as usal upon our Claim Prepairing for water Building Dams &c

Friday Sept 24th 1852
Employd upon our Claim as usal. Prepairing for water

Saturday 25th
Employd part of the Day upon the Claim. Afternoon washing & Mending

Sunday 26th
This day Spent as all Sabbaths Excep a full Miners Meeting to Make & Establish Rules & Laws for Kelsys Diggings

Monday 27th
Employd as usal Digging & Heaving up Dirt & Prepairing for washing

Tuesday 28th
Employd heaving up Dirt as usal

Wednesday 29th
Employd as usal Heaving up Dirt

Thursday 30th
Employd Heaving up Dirt Ditching &c

Friday Oct 1st
Employd Heaving up Dirt upon our Claim

Saturday 2d
Employd this day Backing Lumber Chunking & Daubing the Cabbin washing &c

Sunday Oct 3d 1952
This day Spent as all Sabbaths

Monday 4th
Employd this day upon our Lower Claim

Tuesday 5th
Employd Chopping fire wood &c

Wednesday 6th
Employd Building Sluice Boxes Repairing [Long] Toms &c prepairing for water

Thursday 7th
Employd as Yesterday. Chopping & fixing Toms & Sluices &c & finished

Friday 8th
Employd in Heaving up Dirt up the Ravine by Arthur Diggings

Saturday 9th
Employd Part of the Day up the Ravine. Afternoon washing & mending

Sunday 10th
Employd as all Sabbaths

Monday 11th
Employd up the Ravine Digging & Heaving up Dirt

Tuesday Oct 12th
All this Employd in Heaving up Dirt up the Ravine

Wednesday 13th
Employd Chopping Fire Wood for winter &c before Rains come

Thursday 14th
Employd as Yesterday Prepairing for the Rainy Season fixing Dams &c

Friday 15th
Employd as usal Chopping fire Wood Building Back House Piaza &c Capt Foster Left for Vellezo & City

Saturday 16th
Employd as usal Chopping in the forenoon, Ballance washing Mending

Sunday 17th
Spent as All Sabbaths

Monday 18th
Employd Part of this day in Chopping fire wood. Called upon an arbitration case to settle a disputed Claim. Afterward offerd us to work it out Together. Afternoon Commenced Ditching & Stripping Ground

Tuesday Oct 19th
Employd Digging & washing a Little Gold as the water is Scarce. Got about 20 dollars this day among six of us.

Wednesday 20th
Employd as usal Mining. Got About 28 dollars this day

Thursday 21st
Employd Mining as usal. Got about 20 Dollars this day

Friday 22d
Employd as usal digging and washing. Water scarce. Got about 30 Doll

Saturday 23d
Employd digging & washing a Little. Water scarce. Got this week altogether 130 dollars. Capt Foster Got Back from the City. Got 2 letters from Como. One mail yet due

Sunday 24th
This day Spent as all

Monday 25th
Employd Mining & washing. Got this day about 50 Dollars.

Tuesday Oct 26
Employd this day Mining & Washing with the Cradle. Got 25 dollars

Wednesday 27th
Employd Rocking the Cradle. Got the day about 42 dollars

Thursday 28
Employd Mining as usal. Got This day about 30 dollars

Friday 29th
Employd Part of this day & finished. Got about 10 dollars afternoon Employd in washing and Mending Clothes

Saturday 30th
Employd this day in Mending Clothes &c

Sunday 31st

This day spent as all Sabbaths

Monday Nov 1st
Employd this day Chopping wood

Tuesday 2d
Part of this day was spent in Making Hose & Lather. Part of the Day Spent in Lectionering and Voting

Wednesday 3d of Nov
This day was spent in Making Hose Cutting firewood &c. Got the Sad News of the Burning of Sacramento City which took Place on the Eve of the 2d about 10 o clock. Laying the whole city in Ruins & Ashes & Loss of Life

Thursday 4th
Employd as usal About the Diggings & Premises Prepairing for Rain

Friday 5th
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Employd as usal Digging & Prospecting About. Prepairing for water

Saturday 6th
Employd variously About the Premises. Afternoon washing & mending. Evening Some provisions arrived up from the City

Sunday 7th
This day Spent as all Sabbaths. Weather Clear & Cool & No sighns of Rain. Blood left for City

Monday 8th
Employd part of this day upon the Lower Claim Prospecting & Heaving up Dirt. Weather Looks Rainy

Tuesday Nov 9th
This day Employd upon the Lower Claim heaving up Dirt &c

Wednesday 10th
Employd part of this day upon the Lower Claim. Henry went to Coloma & Brought Me a Letter from Home

Thursday 11th
Employd setting Tom and Sluice Hose from washing. Afternoon Rainy

Friday 12th
Employd part of the day upon the Lower Claim. Afternoon up the Ravine

Saturday 13th
Employd variously Topping out Chimney, Prospecting &c. Weather Wet & Muddy.

Sunday 14th
This day spent as all Sabbaths. Got the news of St. Francisco fire. 52 Houses burnt

Monday 15th
Employd variously about the Diggings. Preparing for water &c.

Tuesday 16th
Employd as Yesterday about the Diggings

Wednesday Nov 17th
Employed variously About the Premises. Rainy weather but not Enough

Thursday 18th
Employd variously About the premises Prospecting Prepairing for washing

Friday 19th
Mr. Blood returned. Employd this day in Going over to the South fork & packd a Tom Home

Saturday 20th
Employd variously. Mr Blood Giving us a full Description of the fire

Sunday 21st
Spent as all Sabbaths. Rainy

Monday 22d
Employd fixing Toms & Sluices, Building Dams &c.

Tuesday 23d
Employd variously about the Premises. Henry went to Coloma. Got no Letters

Wednesday 24th
Employd this day in digging as usal. Got the Melocholany News of the Death of Daniel Webster & two Letters, one from Home & one from Adeline

Thursday Nov 25th 1852
Employd Digging and Heaving up Dirt. Weather dry, waiting Rain

Friday 26
Employd Cradling. Got about 10 Dollars

Saturday 27th
Employd variously fixing Dams, Lugging Toms & Sluice Boxes about preparing for water

Sunday 28th
This day as all Sabbaths Rainy but Not Hard enough to make water Run

Monday 29th
Employd this day variously. Had an arbitration case Decided against us & tore away Our Dam. Afternoon washed a Little up the Ravine. Got about 7 dollars

Tuesday 30th
Employd washing. Rainy all Day. Got about 45 Dollars all three of us.

Wednesday Dec 1st
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Employd this Day washing in the Rain. Got about 23 dollars

Thursday Dec 2d
This being My Birth Day. Rainy. Employd washing. Got about 21 $

Friday Dec 3d
Employd this Day washing a Little, water scarce, Got about 7,50

Saturday 4th
Employd washing. Rainy weather. Our Dam Broke Away. Got about 38 dollars

Sunday 5th
This like all Sabbaths not much doing. Rainy weather. A Rumor of Genl Pirrces [?] Ellection Done a Little washing & Gave it up

Monday 6th
No Rain & But Little water running. Employd working what we Could. Got about $ 28

Tuesday 7th
Employd washing a Little. Got about 4 Dollars, a Little water

Wednesday 8th
Employd variously fixing Toms &c

Thursday 9th
Employd variously about the Premises. Not much doing. No water

Friday 10th
Not much doing. No water

Saturday 11th
Not much doing. No rain. Got a Letter from Home, all well

Sunday Dec 12th
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Spent as all Sabbaths

[Diary, part VI, December 13th, 1852 - March 6th, 1853]