Re: Astonishing Sinclair history!

[Myra Perala <mperala@teleport.com>]

Dear Laurel,

I love reading your thoughts on history!  Keep it up.

Myra Perala
Portland, OR



At 10:43 AM 4/10/99 -0700, you wrote:
>
>Marilyn,
>    Did Australia have sort of one big gold rush, a couple of them, or was
>it an ongoing thing.  I think we have had maybe 4 smaller ones:  the first
>being in Georgia 1828,  Pikes Peek 1858, Black Hills 1876,  The Alaskan one
>1896-7.  The big one was in California 1849, with the largest 1900's strike
>near Carlin, NE.  My encyclopedia doesn't even mention the  Black Hills, SD
>strike.  They may  be yet mining there at Lead, SD today.  I am aware of
>this because I was a Girl Scout counselor at Deadwood, SD very near there.
>
>Australian Gold Rush:  The discovery of large gold deposits was one of the
>most important events in early Australian history.  The first important gold
>field was found early in 1851 near Bathurst, NSW and later that year gold
>was discovered in Victoria.  Thousands of people came to Australia seeking
>gold.  The population grew from 400,000 in 1850 to more than 1,100,000 by
>1860.  .....Gold has been discovered in all the states but the riches lay
>mainly in Vic and W. Aust. WA's big rushes began in 1892 at Coolgardie and
>1892 at Kalgorlie." World Book Ency.
>
>So which rush was your Alexander in.  My great great grandfather, Zachariah
>Bowers, went from Dane Co., WI to the CA strike.  He was about 48 yrs. old
>which was ancient for that situation.  The census shows almost exclusively
>20 year olds with a few teens and a few in early 30's.  Zack soon began
>driving a gold quartz wagon which might have been easier work but at least a
>sure source of income if you didn't get highjacked.  He did accumulate some
>money; sent word that he was returning home.  The folks planned a big
>celebration but then got a telegram that he had been robbed and murdered on
>the streets of SF.
>    A Byington cousin went there as a shop keeper but kept his money.  The
>prices were terrible.  He returned with the money sewn in his vest which I
>understand is in a museum in Chittenden Co. VT.  He was able to buy the
>biggest and nicest farm and lived happily ever after.
>Here are a couple of good books on this subject:
>"In Camp & Cabin" by Rev. John Steele.  Zack is briefly mentioned in this.
>One of J. Steele's relatives soon married Zack's daughter.  This small paper
>back is out of print but I found it at Powell's for 4.50.
>"The Shirley Letters"  by Dame Shirley (Louise Amelia Knapp Smith Clappe).
>Some wife accompanied their husbands.  Shirley's husband was a doctor who
>worked as a miner.  The story is from Shirley's point of view and is quite
>insightful.
>+
>Have any of you heard the term "I have seen the Elephant", or the
>"California Elephant"?
>This expression, I believe, came from the 49ers.  It expressed the idea of
>having set out on a tremendous quest, then reaching the goal and being able
>to return from it, then sum it up in that elephant expression.  It springs
>from the outline of routes to California drawn on a map.  If you look then
>at the map you will see the rough outline of an elephant.  The expression
>was for maybe a generation or two generally used to describe other
>undertakings.
>Anyway does anyone have an old map that looks like an elephant?
>
>Laurel
>Portland, OR
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: MSiperek@aol.com <MSiperek@aol.com>
>To: sinclair@jump.net <sinclair@jump.net>
>Date: Saturday, April 10, 1999 6:35 AM
>Subject: Re: Astonishing Sinclair history!
>
>
>>
>>Laurel,
>>   A bit of a romantic story re: my great grandfather and the South African
>>Gold Rush.  This story was relayed to me by a 90 year old Orcadian
>gentleman
>>who knew my great grandfather's family.   ALEXANDER SINCLAIR went to join
>>unnamed uncle in the search for gold.  He found a nugget the size of nut
>and
>>returned to Orkney, fancied some jewelry for family members and used the
>>procedes to marry a my grandmother "whose family thought they were gentry"
>>and finance his trip to America.   He had come from a family whose family
>of
>>13 lived on a small croft surrounded on three sides by my gr-grandmothers
>>large farm.
>>                                            Marilyn
>>[ This is the Sinclair family discussion list, sinclair@jump.net.
>>[ To get off or on the list, see http://www.mids.org/sinclair/list.html
>>
>
>[ This is the Sinclair family discussion list, sinclair@jump.net.
>[ To get off or on the list, see http://www.mids.org/sinclair/list.html
>
>
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