That's A Wrap

Well, here we are at the end on 2013.

The good things about 2013, Howard Windknots & Tangled Lines is doing well. Nothing bad has happened to me other than the little skin cancer being removed in February. The wife is healthy and I haven't killed the cats, yet.

The bad thing is that we are really, really, really dry. In fact Sacramento has recorded the driest calendar year on record (6.12 inches of rain) and the records date back to the late 1800's. We got more rain than that in the month of December, last year.

Fishing wise, better than last year by a couple. I won't go into numbers, but I will give you percentages which, if you follow this blog, will not surprise you.

Power Bait - 76%
Live Bait - 2%
Flies - 9%
Lures - 13%

I just ordered my new 2014 fishing license with the second rod stamp AND the Steelhead card. I may or may not pursue chrome this year, but just in case I decide to, I have the card for the small donation to the DFW of $7.05.

Thank you one and all for reading what I write, Happy New Year, and I'll see you next year, 2014 that is, like tomorrow. 

Mark 

4th Crossing

Having lived up in this area for a bunch of years, I would have guessed that 4^th Crossing was a place where the pioneers crossed something on their fourth trip out here. Nope, got it all wrong.

Landmark NO 258

4^th Crossing was formally known as Foreman’s after its founder David Foreman. It is located on San Antonio Creek (even though the plaque says Calaveras River) is at the fourth river crossing on the Stockton-Murphy’s road. You probably don't know Murphy's, but it is the home of the Kautz (Like me) Ironstone Winery. And before you ask the question that everybody asks, nope, no relation.  Foreman had established a ferry to cross the river, which they replaced with a toll bridge. The bridge is still standing to the west of the bridge that Hwy. 49 runs on.

Toll Bridge

The town was famous in the 1850s for its rich placer ores (deposits of of gold in sand and gravel in modern or ancient stream beds), which were replaced by lode (hardrock mines) mining. After the gold ran out, the town continued to operate as an important stagecoach and freighting depot, serving the southern mines until after the turn of the 20th century. The county's first Justice Court was established here, complete with a Justice of the Peace.

I pulled this picture off the Internet. In real life it doesn't look nearly as nice. Seems to lost in the "Keep the landmarks clean" department.

Friday, New Melones, and Juan

I was going to wait for Juan to do a post on his blog, but as much as I like this guy, he's slow at posting.

We met up Friday at Raley's in Jackson and headed out to New Melones to soak some Power Bait. Made a quick stop at Starbuck's in Angels Camp for coffee and coffeecake and hit the lake just before 9:00am.

Set up our camping chairs in my usual spot and put out four rods. Juan got the first fish and it only got better from there. I was  a little concerned because there were a LOT of people out there, but it didn't seem to make any difference.  

First trout of the day

We managed four apiece and pulled out around 1:00pm. Juan also got the last fish and the biggest at sixteen inches. He also won the pool for the biggest fish. What pool? I don't remember there being a pool.

While we were sitting there Charlie Moore (Secretary/Membership of the Amador Fly Fishers Club, you'll note on the left side of the page the link to the club) wandered by. 

Now as fly fishermen go, Charlie is good, really good. Remember last Monday I tried to use my fly rod and couldn't get the fly more than about ten feet out, Charlie was putting the fly about thirty feet out and since he was getting it out so far, caught at least three while he was next to us.

Charlie

I think I need to get the Float Tube Cumberland out here this week. I wouldn't have to cast so far. Oh yeh, the fly of the day, black Wooly Bugger.

Drop in on Juan's blog (link above) when he gets his post done. Maybe he'll say something nice about how good a guide I was. Always good to fish with someone who knows what he's doing.

Come back tomorrow and see what 4th crossing is all about.  

Howard Update Friday Afternoon

Mel over at the Pond Stalker is getting regular updates from Howard's Brother. He's doing better, but for a full report click on the Pond Stalker line above.

Howard Update

Got this from Mel last night. From Pam to Cameron at Fiberglass Manifesto.

"Hi Cameron,

I had so many cell calls yesterday and got mixed up on who's number belonged to who, so thought I would email you. Howard had a setback this morning. They wanted to take the breathing tube out and tried to unsedate him and he got very agitated. (The nurse called him a wild man!, we can use that one later!)They needed to sedate him again to keep him calm. So right now he is still on the ventilator and is still unconscious. He evidently is having problems breathing due to lung problems (too many years of smoking). So for now they are leaving him alone until tomorrow. He is stable and they changed him from morphine to Dilantin, as they didn't think the morphine was working. The drugs were still in his system from the cath procedure. They were able to get the balloon pump out with no problems. The hope is tomorrow they will be able to take the tube out and will have him sitting up. His chest looks good and he has color in his face. Hopefully after another restful night his body will be able to take over.

Please pass this on to the fellow bloggers and tell them thanks for all the calls and good wishes! Will keep in touch!

Hope your Christmas was blessed!

Pam"

I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything more. 

Prayers Needed For Howard

Don't know how many saw this on another site, but wanted to pass it along to all those who visit here.

Howard Levitt from the "Windknots and Tangled Lines" blog is in the hospital. Here is the email from his wife to Cameron Mortenson at the Fiberglass Manifesto.

"Hi Cam,
Not sure how to blog, Facebook, or any of that, but was able to find your site which is familiar to me with all the T-shirts he wears! Could you get the word out that Howard is out of commission and will have bypass surgery tomorrow (5 arteries)! He went to the ER yesterday with chest pains, had an angiogram today and was transported to Boulder today. Boulder has a state of the art cardiac unit and is in good hands. He is going to feel sooooooooooo much better when this is completed. You may know that he has a very strong family history of heart problems and already has several stints. This surgery should make him good to go for the rest of his days. The good news is that he made it to the hospital, is breathing and talking and asking about contacting his bloggers! Feel free to contact me at the number below which is my cell. Surgery is scheduled from 7:15 and will go until about 1 in the afternoon. My phone does not have email accessibility so please call. They said that he'll be in the hospital for 4-5 days.
Thanks and Merry Christmas!"

Let's give one up for our buddy Howard. 

Christmas Eve, Eve

That would be today. No big plans except running out to New Melones to see if there were still any fish there. You see, Friday I'm playing fishing guide again. You'll have to wait to see what happens.

The short and sweet of the day is that between 8:45 and 11:30 I limited. I would have cut the last one (only about 9 inches) loose except the Game Warden was in the area. Didn't want to ruffle any feathers. I gave her a card for the blog and she said she recognized my name. Must have a reputation out there.  Apparently a good one since I didn't leave the lake in handcuffs.

OK, next stop on the Historical Marker tour is 4th Crossing. It's another one I pass on the way to New Melones. We'll pick that one up sometime next week.

For today, Merry Christmas everybody.   

I Forgot About Chili Gulch

We've been having so much fun out a New Melones and even though I drive by this marker every time, I just plain forgot about it. So here goes.

State Registered Landmark No 265

The plaque reads: Richest placer mining section, extending five miles, in Calaveras County. Received name from Chileans who worked gulch in 1848 and 1849, and scene of the so-called Chilean War. Largest known quartz crystals recovered from mine on south side of gulch. 

The camp was founded by miners from Chile in 1848.  Within a few years of its discovery, many hundreds of miners were engaged in placer and hydraulic mining activities in the Gulch. J. D. Borthwick, a nomadic Scottish journalist and author, visited the camp in the spring of 1853 (contradiction to plaque and firsthand report) and reported seeing about two hundred Chilenos panning gold with large flat wooden dishes.

Here is where there are some conflicting information about the “Chilean War” comes in. Supposedly from a firsthand account: 

In the winter of '49-'50 a company of men composed of Texans and Kentuckians, with a few from Arkansas and Missouri, numbering about sixteen in all, camped near Chili Gulch, and finding that these foreigners were getting more than their share of gold, concluded to drive them out and take possession of these rich claims. They therefore posted notices in the gulch ordering the foreigners to vacate within twenty-four hours or suffer the consequences. But no attention was paid to the order for the reason that no law had been passed by the Government to prevent them from mining in California. And from this fact they inferred that they had as good a right to mine as any one.

The miners, finding that they did not intend to leave, drove them out by main force and took possession, not only of their mining ground, but also of their tools, tents and even of some of their clothing. The Chileans went up to Mokelumne Hill for assistance, but the officers of the law refused to assist them. The sheriff did, however, in order to get rid of them, give them a blank warrant with the privilege of filling it out and serving said warrant in any manner they pleased. Armed with this authority they went early in the morning and took the whole company of miners prisoners, but unfortunately one Missourian was killed and another one badly wounded during the affray. They tied the hands of their prisoners, and driving them along in the road ahead of them, started for the town of Stockton, distant about eighty miles.

They all stopped at O'Neil's station, about twelve miles from Stockton, for breakfast. Now it happened that there were quite a number of travelers and teamsters who had stopped there the night before and when they saw them Chilean’s drive in the boys for breakfast, they were not long in getting acquainted with the particulars, and whether right or wrong made no difference, for they were Americans at any rate. So they charged upon them while they were eating their breakfast and bound every one of 'em. Now the scene had changed, and the boys around Chili Gulch were astonished, a few days after, to see the American boys driving the Chileans before them into camp, all tied in a similar manner as the Americans had been.

They gave them a fair trial, and sentenced four of them to be shot. Of course they didn't know which ones killed their pardner, but it made no difference, to shoot about four of 'em would fill the bill anyhow. And the rest of 'em left that part of the country in a hurry.

A few days after they started in to work, some of the miners around there had a sort of a miners' meetin' one day, and so they come over into Chili Gulch and stuck a paper up on a tree with some writing on it for them to read, and so they did.

It said that if any of them fellers what drove out, and shot them Chileans, was found mining over there in Chili Gulch, that the miners round in them diggings would hang every darned one of ‘em. The miners decided that it was time to find a more favorable place to mine.

   

Accounts vary widely about the details, with some including mention of Joaquin Murrieta's involvement on the side of the Chileans.

So that is State Registered Landmark No. 265, Chili Gulch.