“ Although Bachman is not a significant figure his diary is valuable as a first-hand account of a way of living followed by thousands of men who came to California in the gold rush, men who spent their lives prospecting in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, who tried farming and returned to pros- pecting, who lived all their lives in anticipation of a rich strike, but who finally died in the little one-room cabins they had first built, without ever having found the riches that had lured them to California. ”

“ This statement is ventured in spite of the fact that Dougal was in California only a year, and was never a California enthusiast. San Francisco fascinated him, but too prominent in his mind were the primitive city's mud, wind, and dust; and California's most potent charms could never quite overcome the pull of family, fiancee, and good business prospects back home. ”

“ In this journal of John Work its limits are known and its course is clear: "The Bonaventura is the Sacramento." As such, it was well known to the hunters and trappers of the Hudson's Bay Company. In the heat of an August day. Chief Trader John Work and his party of one hundred men, women and children embarked in boats for the first stage of their long expedition to the Bonaventura; a journey that was to take its toll in sickness and death, a journey fraught with perils and burdened by rivalry and disappointments. ”

“ WHAT WAS the first California book to be copyrighted, and what type of material did our early California authors and artists consider worthy of protection under the copyright law? Probably not one in a hundred readers of this magazine can answer these questions without referring to the pages that follow. Book collectors and bibliographers have long been interested in the earliest California imprints, but little attention has been given to the first copyrights, although a complete record of the books, maps, and prints entered for copyright in California from 1851 to 1870 has been preserved. ”

“ We have some funny and queer characters aboard, and after supper of an evening if we don't feel like dancing or skylarking we gather in little knots about deck and spin yarns and peal after peal of laughter attests the good humor and enjoyment of all hands. Our first mate is a queer character, an old Whaleman from Nantucket, and we cluster round him of an evening and listen to his wonderful adventures and hairbreadth escapes, and the old man being a great talker likes nothing better than to spin yams by the hour, and like the "old Veteran" to fight his battles over again. ”

“ The California Historical Society is increasing steadily in membership, and in the midst of trying times has maintained its position in an effective way, as an outstanding institution devoted to the preservation of things historical pertaining to California and the West. ”

“ I had determined not to make canoes until farther down where it is supposed we would have found people but seeing the height of the water in the main river which is such that it cannot be crossed on horseback with- out much danger & consequently could not be well trapped otherwise but with canoes, we delay to make them here. Hollowing out the trees will be a laborious work. The people are divided into threes one of which is to remain ashore with the camp and two to descend in the canoes. Two Deer & a brown bear were killed & 10 beaver taken. ”

“ I have given you a good idea of how we live in the cabin, but you should see the groups or messes scattered all over the vessel eating their grub, some squatted on the deck, "a la Turk" with tinpans of molasses and mush, and tincups of Coffee, as happy as lords some of them, others growling because another mess has got more molasses on their mush, and all sorts of jokes and skylarking going on, and then after supper to hear our concerts and see our Cotillions and breakdowns on the deck, I tell you it is rich. ”

“ Independence Rock is a granite pile, a relic of the glacial age, that rises above the plain on the north side of the Sweetwater River in Central Wyoming. Between the rock and the river ran the combined Oregon -Mormon-California trails. Father De Smet, in 1840, wrote: "It might be called the great registry of the desert." Some authorities give the Ashley-Henry trappers of the early 1820's credit for naming the landmark, upon which, it is said, they held a celebration on July 4 and engraved the words "Independence Rock." Fremont left the impression of the cross deeply carved on its face. ”

“ Did
not raise camp in order to allow the people time to make their lodge poles. Our horses are also in need of a little time to feed, the grass is every where so dry that the horses derive little nourishment from it. The two men who remained behind arrived with four beaver. They had to go back to our encampment in order to find the road. Tho' we saw only one family of Snake Indians, yet there were the tracks of plenty of them about our encampment after we left, they were no doubt concealed while we were on the river. Some of the men were out with their traps, 8 beaver taken. ”

“ Most striking of all the sketches is a panoramic view of San Francisco drawn from the top of Nob Hill, near the site of the Mark Hopkins Hotel, which takes in all the city from Rincon Point to North Beach. Here, with a true engraver's passion for detail, Mr. Dougal set down the outlines of each individual building in the city and each one of the mass of ships in the harbor. The drawing was made sometime in 1850, apparently either before the fires of that year had done their devastating work or after the damage had been repaired. ”

“ When Charles Caldwell Dobie died on January 1 1 San Francisco lost not only one of its most distinguished literary figures but a gallant gentleman, a man of intellectual and personal integrity and a versatility so uncommon that he was as popular socially for his liveliness of mind, humor, and good- fellowship, as with the reading public for his admirable stories and such thoughtful and enduring works as San Francisco, a Pageant, and San Fran- ciscans Chinatown. ”

“ In less than five minutes the Star Spangled Banner was waving from every ship in the harbor and every flagstaff on shore. hundreds assembled in the Plaza and patriotic speeches were the order of the day; next Tuesday was appointed as a grand holiday to celebrate the nuptials of the "Bride of the West." The admission of California as a state has given confidence and stability to everything in the shape of business. A few days since a small select party of 'us mounted on steeds at early dawn, and started on a picnic party on the shores of the Pacific. ”

“ Three deaths have occurred in recent months, of persons who were not members of our Society yet whose passing leaves a gap in the field of western historians: Thompson Coit Elliott, of Walla Walla, Washington, a director of both the Oregon and Washing- ton Historical Societies and author of many articles and brochures on the history of the Northwest, died on May 5. Miss Mary Eudora Garoutte, head of the California History section of the California State Library from its organization in 1903 until her retirement thirty years later, died on January 8. ”

“ Ridge must be a part of the Rocky Mountains as they are a solid rock no herbage but an occasionally stunted Cedar in some crevice we camp tonight on the banks of the river 1 7 miles from our last camp
"Today we have disposed of one of our waggons making our remaining loads rather heavy" "For a week past we have passed a large number of Ox trains the hard chance we have had for grass has compelled them to give out many of them, we find them along the road oftener than every mile and parties with them have to lay by to recruit the remaining one." ”

“ The provisions are all dealt out on certain days of the week, one week the same as another, so we always know what we are going to have for dinner; we have our Bean day, our Pea day, mush day, etc., etc. On Sunday we have for breakfast, say boiled Indian Pudding or corn bread, with a meat stew, perhaps, or cold meat. Coffee, Butter, Molasses etc.; for dinner we have boiled corn Beef, corned Pork, and what we call Duff, which is a great dish with us. It is nothing more or less than a wheat flour Pudding, boiled, with a few dried apples or raisins to flavor it ”

“ Being narrow and crowded, and full of loaded drays, drunken sailors, empty packing-cases, run-away horses, rotten cabbages, excited steamboat runners, stinking fish, Chinese porters, gaping strangers, and large holes in the planks, through which you may perceive the water, it is best to be careful in walking down Long Wharf, and to turn neither to the right nor to the left. 17
Long Wharf furnished many an item for the Alta, since the open-air shops were a constant invitation to petty thieves. ”

“ Continued our
route across the mountains and along an extensive valley to a small creek near the North end of pit lake,*^ 5^/4 hours 19 miles S. We could find no water which obliged us to march so long. The mountain we crossed is not high but part of the road was stony & hard upon the horses' sore feet. There is a hot spring in the valley a little to the one side of the road Some of the young men went to it, the water is so hot that the finger can be barely endured in it a moment. ”

“ The pass which Work crossed through the Cascade Range of mountains north of Lassen Peak, judging from all available traditions and records, is the first pass used by white men in their penetration of California from the north. Miss Dorothy Huggins, corresponding secretary of the California Historical Society, and the writer drove over the forest road covering this portion of Work's route on August 28, 1942, just one hundred and nine years to the day after Work made his way over the heights on his homeward journey to Fort Vancouver. ”

“ The log which he kept of the seven-months voyage* shows it to have been uneventful, except for severe cold and storms while rounding the Horn and the stops in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Valparaiso, Chile. His artistic pencil was inspired while en route by a scene aboard the Galindo, by marine life in the Gulf Stream, by the mountains of the Cape Verde Islands, and by the exotic scenery in and around Rio de Janeiro. His shrewd business sense is further shown by his purchase of flour in Chile, with his last remaining funds, for sale in San Francisco. ”

“ In California, Bachman prospected with his companions of the overland trip until the company died the natural death predicted for it by its leader.^ After the company's dissolution the members were free to mine where they pleased. Many soon gave up, but Bachman stayed on, prospecting along the streams of Calaveras County, frequently and hopefully moving to new locations with first one partner and then another. He picked the surface of ground which later yielded great wealth to those equipped with mining machinery. ”

“ A few more jokes passed, we told them to report us in New York all well, gave them 6 cheers which they returned, and we parted each on his course. You have no idea what an excitement and sensation the cry of "Sail ho! " creates on board a vessel. The idea that perhaps she is homeward bound and will speak us and convey in- telligence of our welfare to friends at home keeps all hands on the tiptoe of expectation until she is out of sight and all ends in disappointment and we keep a bright lookout for the next one. ”

“ The people again out with their traps, only two beaver taken. Several of the people out hunting. Peevish killed a small antelope. Some of the people were out yesterday also hunting antelopes but without success. Peevish's gun burst and though he providentially escaped unhurt he was very near losing his arm. Some Snake Indians are lurking about us but will not approach the camp during the day. ”

“ Many prominent Irish families which settled early in San Francisco, the Santa Clara Valley, and Santa Barbara were noticed particularly, with reference to individuals who were outstanding in the pioneer days of California. ”

“ May 22* Today we crossed the Wakarusa river the banks were steep we had to let our waggons down by ropes and hired some Santa Fee oxen to get our teems up the opposite bank there is heavy timber for a half mile on each side of the river for three miles we had to pass over a wet bottom prara had to double teems and much of the way the wheels went down to the hub however we have got through it at dark and camped on fine rise on the high prara tonight for the first time our ears have been saluted by the howling of wolves about our camp. ”

“ The road the greater part of the way today very stony. Several of the horses are becoming lame, their hoofs are being worn out. Found some oak in the mountains among the pine & cedar trees^^. F. Champaigne & J. Toupin each killed a horse to eat, pro- visions are becoming scarce among the people. The hunters were again out in the mountains but without success. There are some deer tracks but they are very shy, probably on account of being much hunted by the Indians whose tracks quite fresh are to be met with in every direction. ”

“ Graduated from the Rose Polytechnic Institute in Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1889, he soon thereafter made his headquarters in San Francisco, though his engineering work often took him far afield. In the next fifty years he had a part in most of the major engineering projects of northern California, including such projects as the San Mateo Bridge, Shasta Dam, Coyote Dam, and the Stanislaus, Las Plumas and Moccasin hydro-electric plants. ”

“ Of course as affairs are now Kearny has no forces at his command, and must submit— I do no like the march— for setting all danger aside, and I regard the chance of attack as being at least two to one in favour of it— I have had enough of march without any particular object— When we arrive at San Diego, I do not see that we have bettered our condition, and what is to become of us I know not. ”

“ The news brought by these gentlemen was very important— first it seems that Fremont has heard that there is a force marching from Sonora —some two thousand strong under the Command of General Castro and Pio Pico— This seems to have some foundation— as Fremont has sent a force to Warners pass of one hundred and seventy five men, and four pieces of Artillery. ”

“ After a good breakfast, fine butter churned this morning being the I greatest luxury, we saddled our nags and started for Pueblo distant only 1 2 miles. I should never wish to live in a more beautiful country than this we are riding through this morning; it has given me a different opinion of Cali- fornia, and if I were going to remain in California should leave the sand hills of San Francisco very quickly. ”