Robert Eccleston, who with his brother, came to Mariposa County from
New York to seek his fortune. Like most young 49'ers living in
tents, brush huts, and log cabins if lucky, fortune escaped him. As
much as anything water was the key ingredient to success in the
mining camps. It could be too much or not enough. With his brother
Edward, he wandered from Agua Fria to the Merced River to Maxwell
Creek, Garrote (Groveland) to many creeks and gulches in between. He
would stop at Coulter's tent store or Bunnell's at North Fork for
essentials such as pork, beans, flour or whatever he could afford.
His clothes were ragged from living in them and on the ground for
months at a time. He mentioned that Maj. James Savage, commander of
the Mariposa Battalion was similarly attired, only for him, who owned
stores and had many Indians mining along the creeks, it was a
disguise. He knew at some point that the Indians would like to
dispatch their "Friend" based on the supposed insults that Savage had
visited on Bautista the chief during a trip to San Francisco.
Savage took the chief to the big city to show the strength and
numbers of the Americans now displacing his people from the land.
What Bautista discovered was whisky. Savage supposedly struck down
the chief during the course of the evenings activities. I do not
think that Bautista was impressed, and when they returned to the
mountains, Savage was no longer their friend. The first major event
was the raiding of Savage's store on the Fresno River and the killing
of three of his four men.
Savage formed a militia of fewer than 200 men and attacked the Indian
village. In the course of the activities one Lt. Skeane was killed and
about 45 Indians. Bows and arrows were no match for gun powder but
they still were dangerous. Some in Mariposa were concerned about the
use of a private militia, probably unfunded, to remove the Indians.
The state was contacted for assistance, which also contacted the
Federal Government for assistance.
Concern for the welfare of the natives probably took a back seat to
who was gone to pay for their removal. The Federal Indian
Commissioners had great interest in a peaceful conclusion to the
conflict and established locations for gathering the various groups.
Feasts, stores of clothing and promises of conversion to
European/American culture were to be the incentives. The food was
necessary because the rapid invasion of miners had depleted the
meager natural food sources.
While most of the native groups eventually responded to the offers,
the Yosemite did not. It was well understood that the group that
called themselves the Yosemite, really were a collection of a number
of ethnic groups from Piute, to Yokut, to Miwuk and many others.
Major Savage had little confidence in the intent of the Indians to
respond to the gathering, and after waiting eight days, he moved the
Mariposa Battalion into position to capture the various groups that
were still at large. Dividing the three companies into one which
would follow into the mountains towards the San Joaquin watershed
and two that would move towards the rocky valley that was suspected
to be the hiding place of the Yosemite, Savage began the trip first
over Chowchilla Mountain, and then to Bishop Meadows. There he
encountered the Nuchu group which surrendered without objection.
While camped there, Savage set up a competition to select the fittest
of his troop to further penetrate the mountains.
At the time of the forming of the Mariposa Battalion, Agua Fria was
the county seat. Whittier's Hotel in Agua Fria was the headquarters
for the enlistment. Mariposa town was new in 1850, still under the
control of Palmer Cooke and Co, leasers of the Mariposa Mine. While
mining camps in and around Mariposa were attacked, camps more remote
such as at Fine Gold Creek and on the Fresno River, because of their
remoteness, were more the subject of depredation. There were reports
of wagon trains being stopped and attacked by the Indians. Very
likely reports of raids by the natives were to grow in number and
ferocity as the stories were passed from miner to miner. It was,
after all, in the miner's best interest for the Indians to be
compliant laborers or not be seen at all. Add that to the long
winter of boredom, cold and food shortage, any adventure what ever
the nature was welcome.
Most of these young men had arrived in Mariposa County overland
from the east. For the most part they were from rural areas in the
east and used to some privation. Many who came to Mariposa traveled
the southern route, over the various trails from Santa Fe. Many
crossed the Colorado River near Yuma. Early travelers by that route
had to learn that lack of care of moving the group and its supplies
across the river would often result in murder and loss of ones goods.
Others used a Mormon trail that crossed Death Valley, or near it.
Walker Pass in Kern County had been discovered by Joseph Walker
during an expedition with Fremont in which the party was split and
Fremont went north. So the ability of these young and tough men to
learn to survive off the land demonstrated itself early.
One of the most interesting men to come to Mariposa County during
the same time period of the Eccleston brothers was Angevine Reynolds.
If you visit the IOOF section of the Mariposa Cemetery; you will find
the headstone of Mr. Reynolds and his first wife, and a number of his
children.
His wife died in childbirth, perhaps her seventh, and the child and
mother are interned together. Reynolds came to Mariposa from Texas
on a white mule. The mule was to be his partner for a number of
years. Perhaps less than 21 years old and yet having been a Texas
Ranger (it was believed), he first worked at Chicken Gulch. This
gulch proved to be modestly rich and he and his partners were able to
gain a living. But soon mining proved to be too risky and he moved
on to work at Lovejoys Sawmill. Soon he and the mule embarked on
another venture, that being gathering the mail for the miners in
Stockton and bringing it back to be distributed in Mariposa. For the
most part the Postal Service did not exist so private letter
carriers, charging up to a dollar a letter, would gather the mail at
whatever was the endpoint of the vessel from the east, and having
prearranged delivery with the miners who were not interested in
leaving their claims, would deliver the word from home. Often
letters could take up to six months to find and individual located on
the creeks of California with an address such as "John Smith, c/o
Sutter's Fort, California". It had to be quite a trial for both the
49er and their families in the east to keep track of them.
The private mail service did not last too long as contracts were
given by the government for the transport of mail. Since gold dust
was often part of the package, a little more security was the order
of the day. Strangely enough, individual possessions were well
respected and woe to the man who stole a shovel or a horse. A bit of
hemp would accommodate the miscreant, often without a long drawn
trial with appeals. Reynolds over the years attempted many county
positions, became a lawyer specializing in land issues and eventually
owner and editor of the Mariposa Gazette. He was occupying that
position when he passed in l888, leaving the Gazette to his second
wife and the printer, although the printer obtained his share by
accommodating Mrs. Reynolds.
His greatest contribution was his and his colleagues mining recollections of the early days on the Fremont Grant. Such pioneers as Capt. John Diltz were encouraged to record their history. The results were a good record of the early days in Mariposa.

Leroy Radanovich



Leroy Radanovich Email:
Leroy Radanovich

To learn much more about Mariposa County along with
historical photos:
A signed copy of "Images of America" - Mariposa County,
By Leroy Radanovich can be purchased at his web site:
Radanovich Galleria & Books






This is a early day photo of the Mariposa Mine in
Mariposa County that is mentioned in the article to
the left by Mr. Radanovich.

This photo and others can be purchased in various sizes.
All prints are archivally printed on fiber based paper, given a selenium wash which renders the photographs permanent with a warm tone ready for framing
Radanovich Galleria & Books










Mariposa in 1920

This photo and others can be purchased in various sizes.
All prints are archivally printed on fiber based paper, given a selenium wash which renders the photographs permanent with a warm tone ready for framing
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Mariposa County Courthouse written by Leroy Radanovich and
Scott Pinkerton is a book about the oldest courthouse in California that is still in use today.
The book is signed by Leroy Radanovich.
To purchase the book:
Radanovich Galleria & Books








Mariposa in 1860


This photo and others can be purchased in various sizes.
All prints are archivally printed on fiber based paper, given a selenium wash which renders the photographs permanent with a warm tone ready for framing
Radanovich Galleria & Books