DR. GEORGE SCHWEITZER is coming back to Mission Viejo! He will be the featured speaker at the October 21st Seminar. Many will remember the presentations he gave in 2003. Those who missed him will want to be sure not to do so again! We are indeed fortunate to have secured him for our Fifth Annual Seminar.
All members present at the February 18 meeting will have an opportunity to vote for their choice of the topics Dr. Schweitzer will be asked present at the Seminar.

GENEALOGY SAFARI

The goal of this site is to become your complete resource for family history research using newspapers. Our site continues to grow with an average of over 600 new items added each month and currently contains over 22536 abstracts and extracts from historical newspapers. These articles range in size from a single entry to an entire newspaper issue, all provided by site visitors and made available to you free of charge.  This database continues to grow with the daily submission of news items by site visitors like you. 

WOW! Well done! You are very generous! The Penny Basket Funds gathered at the January meeting totaled $106 and change. This will be added to the amount donated in February and March and forwarded to the Historical Society in Pass Christian, Mississipoiu. Great job!

Following is a letter we received in response to the donation we made in January..

“Dear Ms. Nuttall:
Thank you very much for the gift of $500 by your organization to our Pass Christian Historical Society. It is a good feeling to know that people unaffected by Katrina's wrath want to help us in our time of need. We are most grateful for your members' generosity.

As you most likely know, our organization lost its own building, as well as the “Old Town Library” which operated as a subscription library for nearly a hundred years until about 1996. When the librarian died, they discontinued operations, and the building, built as a residence in about 1853, was virtually abandoned and left to the mercy of the elements. The library facility, including the book collection (some printed before 1800) was donated to the Historical Society in 2003. We were in the midst of a project to rehabilitate the building when Katrina came and swept it away.

The collection of artifacts in the Society building's vault was not blown away, but suffered serious water damage. Those items we were able to salvage are at present in freezer storage in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History in Jackson. We understand that the process to reclaim these items is very labor intensive, and therefore very costly. I am sure that your gift will be helpful when we address these problems.

A near-capacity crowd gathered to hear Penny Feike’s Land Records presentation. She proved to be an engaging and knowledgeable speaker. Most of us now have newfound determination to search out those records and perhaps crumble a brick wall or two.

One new member: NELLIE DOMENICK, [email protected]. Surnames: HART, LAWRENCE, WOLFGANG

Two Guests: Isabella Tagore and Michael Schield

One new member joined at the December meeting: MICHAEL J. TRUJILLO

We extend a hearty welcome to our newest members. As always, our guests are invited to join at a future date.

April 19, 1849
DEAR SIR:-We have the pleasure to announce the arrival of two of the mail steamers into the bay of San Francisco, having stopped there in order to lay in some fuel. The mail, however, has been sent forward, and has reached Oregon city. But I am sorry to state, that I received nothing in the shape of news by this mail; which, however, was a small one. I hope to receive the more in the next mail.

One of my principal objects in writing this short letter is to inform your readers how matters stand in one particular point of view in Oregon at the present time; but how long this nature of things will continue is more than I can answer. The matter above referred to is the following: The former emigrants to Oregon, on their arrival here took hold of business of every description suited to the wants and condition of a virtuous community. This course of things continued until about the commencement of last wheat harvest; when all of a sudden, the news of the gold in California reached the ears of the people of Oregon. At this time some of the settlers cut and threshed, and saved their wheat; others cut and shocked theirs, and left it standing in the field; while another portion left their grain standing up on the farm to waste.

In this situation the farms were generally left by the people, (the male population,) of Oregon, many of whom took up their line of march for the California gold region, and still continue to go to, and return from, the mines. Consequently, farming is very much neglected. Last fall there was not one-fourth of an average crop down, and very little spring crop has been down. Out of the crop of 1848, the late emigrants have been supplied, and during all this time of bad management in farming there has been a continual drain of flour from this country to supply the California market. This course of management is making provisions more scarce in Oregon, and consequently has increased their value very much. The following are about the prices current of the articles mentioned, at present, viz:-flour, per bbl, $10; bacon, per cwt., $25, beef, per lb., 12 cts. In a word, I will say that all provisions are high, and continue to rise; and until people betake themselves to farming again, provisions will still further rise; and if we should have a large emigration from the States next fall, I fear that the necessaries of life will be both scarce and costly. American stock, such as cattle and horses, are very high. A good milch cow and calf are worth from $20 to $35; a yoke of oxen from $50 to $75; a good American mare from $100 to $200. Common labor is very high, and mechanical labor much higher.

I still calculate to continue to furnish you with further information of the various concerns of Oregon, as soon as discovery and experience teaches the proper nature of things here. . .

Yours respectfully,
Benj. Cleaver

OREGON CITY, O.T., March 4, '50.
DEAR SIR:--I embrace a few leisure moments to give you some information of the "Western world." Many things have occurred, and many opportunities have offered since I last wrote to you, which are calculated to give me a knowledge of certain portions of Oregon and also of California.

Some time in last April, myself, one son, and two sons-in-law, were sized with the yellow or gold fever, the effect which carried us all off toward California. We took the land route with wagon and team, and traveled up the Willamette valley, over a fine farming country, for a distance of about 150 miles. Here we ascend the Calapooia mountains, so called. These mountains are very fertile in many places, and are not of great elevation; having fine springs, good timber, &c. In one day's drive from the head of the Willamette valley, we reach the Umpqua valley. Here we see mounds of various sizes, covering from 10 acres to 500 acres of land. The valleys between those mounds are various widths; say from a quarter of a mile to ten miles wide. The soil is generally of excellent quality, and the valleys are especially fertile. These mounds are generally covered with a fine coat of grass, and various kinds of timber--some white and black oak, some pine, and a large species of laurel, &c.--some of which are three feet in diameter. The timber that grows on these mounds is generally of a short scrubby nature. There are also many fine springs bursting from the sides of these mounds. Much excellent timber is found in many parts of this valley, though in several places it is not convenient to the prairie.

I am not prepared at this moment to state the width of this valley of mounds, but I judge it to be about 59 miles. In about the centre of this valley, we cross the north fork of Umpqua and at the south side we cross the south fork of Umpqua. These forks are pretty much the same size--each of them about 125 paces wide. There are several families residing in this valley, and a ferry-boat is kept on the north Umpqua . . . After crossing the south Umpqua, we enter the Umpqua mountains, and pass through into what is called a "canyan." [sic] We enter this canyan at the mouth of a small river, and travel up this mountain bound stream, crossing it some 25 times, and lastly traveling in its bed a short distance, when we fall in upon the head of another small river leading south. Following this stream down a few miles, brings us into a handsome little valley. It is a hard day's drive through this canyan. From this little valley it is a hard day's drive over a hilly section of country to the Rogue river valley. Here we find some good little prairies, and for 20 or 30 miles up the river we occasionally find good little valleys. But here at once the valley becomes large--say some 30 miles in width, and probably 40 in length. Some parts of this Rogue river valley are very fertile; but much of it is not good, having too much gravel in the soil, which injures a great many valleys in this Western world.

I should have stated, that, whilst we were traveling through the Umpqua and Rogue river valleys, we made it strictly our business to look for gold in every likely looking place. This gave us a chance also to examine other qualities of this country; and in our investigations we found considerable gold, both on the Umpqua and Rogue rivers. I should also state that, from the prospects of gold above mentioned, the people of Oregon are at this time all on tiptoe, and making great preparations to open those mines this spring. The climate of the Umpqua and Rogue river valleys is like that of the Willamette valley; being mild and pleasant, both in winter and summer. From the Rogue river valley we enter the Cisku mountains. These mountains are not very rough nor of any great elevation. After traveling some 50 miles through those mountains, we arrive at the Klamet river, about 10 miles below the Klamet lake--out of which this stream flows. This river is a fine stream, some 150 paces wide, and for about half the year it cannot be forded. We forded it by propping up our wagon beds and in about 10 miles travel we came to the Klamet lakes. Here are truly, some of the great wonders of the Western world, presented in the form of these mighty lakes. These lakes--as also mount Chaste, which stands near them--are situated upon a very elevated country, probably the most elevated section of country west of the Rocky mountains, for several hundred miles north and south. Many of the great rivers of the west have their source from these lakes, or their immediate vicinity. Here is the find Klamet river which flows immediately from the lake's side, besides several others of considerable note that have their sources in this vicinity. Say, the great Sacramento, Deshute, John Day, Rotue river, the Umpquas, and the McKenzie's fork of the Willamette. All these great streams take their rise in and near those great lakes.

Those lakes, and the mounds and ridges that divide them, cover a large tract of country. Many of those lakes, by wash and other causes, are fast filling in. A few of them have already filled up, and formed rich little valleys. From this place we made our course to the Sacramento valley. The road is circuitous and in many place very rough. We finally descended into the Sacramento valley; and after chasing around for a time, we made our way to the Redding's diggings, for health, the most northerly mines in California. Here we commenced mining with fair success; but had not been long in this fair business, before we witnessed the awful spectacle of a very sick camp. The sickness increased, and many deaths took place; and the people, as soon as they were able to travel, set out for Oregon. My company recovered in part, and we left the mines on the 24th of July. California is truly one of the sickliest, poorest in soil, and hottest countries your unworthy writer ever visited. I hope this will be warning enough to my friends about California.

Respectfully yours, Benjamin Cleaver.

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