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18. Darling of the Gold Camps In the spring of 1853 tall, brown-haired Mary Ann Crabtree, of the schoolmarm, ramrod carriage, and her fiveyear -old daughter, Lotta, set out from the port of New York to San Francisco. They braved storms at sea, outbreaks of cholera, bandits, and the discomforts of a tiny boat on the River Chagres across the Isthmus of Panama all to join Mrs. Crabtree's husband, a doctor, who had set out to make his fortune in the gold fields. Journeying up the coast of California, the intrepid Mary Ann and her little girl finally arrived at the city the whole world was talking about. When their small ship docked in San Francisco, fog was rolling in from the bay wrapping itself around the tents, shanties, and log buildings giving the whole scene, so unlike any city to them, the appearance of a landscape in a bad dream. It was a dismal, disappointing arrival. Carrying their suitcases, mother and daughter climbed the slippery stone steps leading up to the wharf at Pacific and Davis Streets and began to walk along Pacific Street among the auction marts piled high with jewelry and clothing, staring wideeyed at dance halls, cheap saloons, and dives, all teeming with sailors, miners, prostitutes, gamblers, and assorted disreputable characters. They heard the strains of loud piano music, squeaky fiddles, blaring trombones, and rowdy voices in this area bounded on the east by the waterfront, the west by Chinatown, and the north by Broadway. 222 Darling of the Gold Camps 223 Mr. Crabtree was not there to meet his wife and daughter but a message was waiting saying he would write soon and was "somewhere in the mountains." Fortunately, they had friends to stay with, but the sights they showed Mary Ann, although dazzling ones, outraged her puritanical views. It was a mindboggling mixture, for although saloons and gambling halls abounded, good theater was also plentiful. In 1853 the roughest miners could take their choice of performances by the world's most famous actors and actresses of the day. There were farces and burlesques, song and dance acts, English comedies, and Shakespearian dramas. Mrs. Crabtree found herself viewing an exciting whirlpool of dramatic talent unlike anything she had ever seen before even in New York. While she was absorbing all of this and enjoying much of it, despite her disapproval, a letter arrived from husband, John. "So far I have been cursed by ill luck although I shall not go into all the wretched details at this time that have befallen a man of my integrity and diligence. However, a magnificent idea has occurred to me which I am convinced will make our fortune. "In the meantime, living conditions here have been far from comfortable for me. I desire that you and Lotta set out at once to join me in Grass Valley. This is the Mecca of the mining world. While the details of my plan are working out, you should find it well within those admirable talents of yours to run a boardinghouse here. There are all kinds of people in this fast growing place that need to be housed and fed." Mary Ann Crabtree stared thoughtfully at the letter in her hand. She was a practical woman and she knew that by .119.139.50] Project MUSE (2024-04-26 12:34 GMT) 224 The Gold Seekers this means she could make a living for herselfand Lotta, and in the meantime, John's mine might pan out. She had no way of knowing how events there were to change all oftheir lives. Grass Valley was some distance north of the mother lode and as the stage pulled in, Mary Ann saw a picturesque mountain community. Grass Valley was a rowdy mining town, typically western with its row of connected wooden stores on either side, an overhanging roof to protect pedestrians on the board sidewalks from weather, and a muddy thoroughfare down the middle. It did not take Mary Ann long to make a place for herself and "Mrs. Crabtree's" was soon a popular boardinghouse not only for visitors but miners, as well. Lying on the edge of town were the Empire Mine, the Gold Center, the North Star, and other smaller ventures. Returning from a trip to London, General John C. Fremont had brought over Cornish miners. In the earlier gold rushes ofthe Carolinas and Georgia, the Cornish had proven themselves adept at getting gold from the hard rock...

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