Reprinted with permission by the Sierra County Historical Society from The Sierran of August 1970, Vol. 2, No. 2 By one of the Earliest Settlers As our readers will recall, "Early Annals" originally appeared in the Tuolumne Courier in 1860, and are the first-hand reminiscences of one of the gold rush miners in this area. Although most of the chapters are concerned with Downieville, Forest City, and the Alleghany area, this, the third installment, describes the early development of some of the gold camps in the high country beyond the Feather River divide, north of Downieville. The Onion Valley boom provided a lot of excitement in early days. It led to the extensive prospecting of the entire region and the large-scale mining of the Tertiary gravel channels exposed there. La Porte, Howland Flat, Scales and the other camps nearby became well-known as a result. In recent decades, however, this large area, partly in Sierra and partly over the divide in Plumas County, has once again become peopleless and relatively inaccessible and only occasionally frequented by the modern traveler. Thus, our "annalist's" account of the first prospecting expeditions in the area is most interesting and timely. So, without further ado, we turn to "one of the earliest settlers" for his recounting of those far away gold rush days. --Hm. Pickiepoche Onion Valley, Poor Man’s Creek, Etc. In the latter part of June or beginning of July 1850, a party of prospectors returning from Nelson Creek encamped on this beautiful flat, and named it ONION VALLEY; from the immense quantity of a species of wild onion, or more properly leek, growing there. And as all vegetables, even in the settlements were at that time rarities, that such an esculent should at once come into favor, was not to be wondered at. A beautiful creek passed through the valley, the surrounding hills being at the same time covered with broken quartz, known at that time among the miners, technically, as the “Gold Blossom,” gave the idea that rich diggings might be discovered there; especially as only a few miles further on, the rich diggings had been found at Nelson’s Creek. They concluded, therefore, to stop some little time and make a thorough reconnaissance of the country. The party was a large one, and was headed by such men as Capt. Hardy of Mineral Point, Wisconsin, One Eyed Prospecting Moore, Major Hueston, and other prospecting celebrities. Major Downie, the most celebrated at the time, was not present in the camp. The entire party numbered, probably, one hundred and thirty or forty men, well armed either for fight or prospecting. The next morning the party separated in squads, with orders from Capt. Hardy to rendezvous at night in the valleys, and report the prospects. For the first few days the prospects were not so flattering; until on the evening of the 4th of July, One-eyed Moore, who had been out two days, came in and reported having found a creek, which prospected extremely well; showing at the same time some large pieces of black gold and stating that he found a white man and a negro at work — Moore asked the negro what his prospects were, but he gave him no satisfaction. Moore then went down the creek, and when he returned, he found the two had pulled up stakes and left. The place that Moore prospected in was at the falls, just above the forks, exactly where the Downie claim was located afterwards. On Moore’s return to the camp in Onion Valley, it was decided to locate a permanent camp in the Valley; for the reason it was a good location, being surrounded by rich diggings, and the direct trail from Downieville to all of the richest diggings diverging in different directions from this point. Accordingly, some went to work to build log-cabins, some to prospect, whilst the most reliable men were sent to Downieville to procure a stock of goods and provisions to open a store in the valley. Things went on this way for two or three months; during which time the company, under a man named Dixon, discovered Dixon’s Creek, another rich gulch laying between the trail to Nelson’s Creek and Poorman’s. Up to this time Poorman’s Creek was not known, excepting to the company and a few stragglers. But about this time, it became evident that the secret could not be kept much longer. Upon consultation, the company decided that as they had made considerable, and the secret could not be kept any longer, to let certain parties, their friends, in on the secret, in the hopes of monopolizing the richest diggings. Accordingly, Capt. Hardy and Major Hueston came to Downieville and raised a company, among whom was Major Wm. Downie and Capt. Denman of the Jersey claim. The advance guard of these prospectors left Downieville during the night and promised to send word to the others. We waited patiently for two weeks, and no news returning, we began to think we were sold. Besides this, as Downie had been gone so long, it began to be noised about that he had again struck richer diggings. Everyone was on the look out, watching the Downie cabin night and day. On the night of the 11th of October, about midnight, Mike Devermy came back, having left his animals on the upper bench of the hill above town, and told us to pack up. We instantly complied; Devermy showing us his gold, of which he had a large purse full, all in large slugs from six ounces to pieces weighing one bit — all coarse gold — which he told us he had panned out himself. In next week's edition, readers will learn the identity of those who heard the call to "pack up" and what they found "over north."