| The old gold rush town of Downieville is situated at | | | | sure foot to get along in safety. At one spot there |
| what is called the Forks of the Yuba River, and the | | | | was an indentation in the precipice, where the rock |
| town itself was frequently spoken of as "The Forks" | | | | was quite perpendicular: to get over this difficulty, a |
| in that part of the country. While it is a local center | | | | young pine tree was laid across by way of a bridge; |
| of business and tourism today, it was once a hub of | | | | it was only four or five inches in diameter, and lay |
| gold mining activity. The gold diggings at Downieville | | | | nearly a couple of feet outside of the rock. In |
| were very extensive; for many miles above it on | | | | passing, one only rested one foot on the tree, and |
| each fork there were numbers of gold miners | | | | with the other took advantage of the inequalities in |
| working in the bed and the banks of the river. A | | | | the face of the rock; while looking down to see |
| great number of large gold nuggets were found in | | | | where to put one's feet, one saw far below, |
| the region around the town. | | | | between his outstretched legs, the most uninviting |
| The general idea in 1849 was that all the gold must | | | | jagged rocks, strongly suggestive of sudden death. |
| be in the rivers; but in 1850 the rich flats, the deep | | | | The miners had given this place the name of Cape |
| bars, and the high benches began to be worked with | | | | Horn. Those who were camped on the river above it, |
| surprising results. Some flaming of the river-bed was | | | | were so used to it that they passed along with a |
| done during the year, and in 1851 this kind of mining | | | | hop, step, and a jump, though carrying a week's |
| had become almost a mania. Between Downieville and | | | | provisions on their backs, but a great many men had |
| Goodyear's, a distance of four miles, the river was | | | | fallen over, and been instantly killed on the rocks |
| carried nearly the whole way in flumes, costing an | | | | below. |
| immense amount of money. Though a great deal of | | | | The town of Downieville is famous as one of the |
| gold was taken out, these enterprises, on the whole, | | | | few places where a woman was hanged during the |
| failed to supply very large dividends, in consequence | | | | gold rush. The story goes that a Mexican woman one |
| of the tremendous losses occasioned by incipient | | | | forenoon had, without provocation, stabbed a miner |
| floods. The fluming companies generally were | | | | to the heart, killing him on the spot. The news of the |
| deceived by the holes in the river-bed, which, when | | | | murder spread rapidly up and down the river, and a |
| pumped out, were often entirely barren. Therichest | | | | vast concourse of miners immediately began to |
| company working on the bars was the Steamboat, | | | | collect in the town. The woman, an hour or two |
| on Steamboat bar, which for some weeks in 1851 | | | | after she committed the murder, was formally tried |
| averaged $5,000 a day. The Virginia company, of | | | | by a jury of twelve, found guilty, and condemned to |
| which S. B. Davidson was secretary and general | | | | be hung that afternoon. The case was so clear that |
| manager, had a claim below the mouth of Slug | | | | it admitted of no doubt, several men having been |
| canyon, running down to Steamboat bar. There were | | | | witnesses of the whole occurrence; and the woman |
| nine in the company. In 1851 their highest day's work | | | | was hung accordingly, on the bridge in front of the |
| produced $2,617, and on the five succeeding days | | | | town, in presence of many thousand people. It was |
| they secured $2,200, $1,659, $1,120, $2,138, and | | | | one of very few executions of females during the |
| $2,135, consecutively (these amounts all being at $20 | | | | California gold rush era. |
| per ounce). | | | | These days the town is a center for mountain |
| The mountains are very precipitous, and the only | | | | adventurists and tourists who visit the area, but it is |
| communication was by a narrow trail which had been | | | | interesting to think of the excitement that happened |
| trodden into the hillside, and crossed from one side | | | | there during the old mining days. Some tourists still |
| of the river to the other, as either happened to be | | | | try their hand at panning for gold in the local streams, |
| more practicable; sometimes following the rocky bed | | | | while others prefer catching the trout that swim in |
| of the river itself, and occasionally rising over high | | | | them. |
| steep bluffs, where it required a steady head and a | | | | |