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This is a rare unissued Mother Lode Gold Rush 1860's Stock Certificate for the Honest Gold and Silver Mining Company, Musquito Mining District, Mokelumne Hill , Calaveras County, Califorina. The company incorporated in April, 1864. The stock is printed on a thin paper and features a nice vignette of a mill with wagon and a ore car dumping it's load. Mosquito (Musquito) Mining District; Located on the south fork of the Mokelumne River about 8 miles northwest of Mokelumne Hill. The area was mostly worked by Germans in 1849-1851. The "Calavereas Chronical" reported in 1856; that fourty arrastres were at work on a rich placer claim near Musquito Gulch, all owned by Mexican and Chilenos. The Chronical again reported in 1858 some Italians found a 20-pound block of quartz that yielded five pounds of gold ! A 10-stamp water driven mill was built in 1864 and an 18-stamp steam driven mill was built in 1873. There was a post office established here in 1858, but when the deposits petered out in 1878, the post office was moved. Mokelumne Hill Mining District and Gold Rush Town; The gold rush town of Mokelumne Hill is located in Calaveras County California. The mining district includes the famous Chili Gulch area. The streams of the area were first mined during the gold rush of 1848. Mokelumne Hill was first known as Big Bar, and developed into a mining camp in 1848. Nearby Chili Gulch was first mined by Chilean miners, they were discriminated against and forced off their claims, this eventually lead to bloody conflicts with the white miners. By 1850, Mokelumne Hill was one of the largest communities in the mother load region. Major strikes were discovered on the four hills that surrounded the camp. Large amounts of gold was recovered in the area by both hydraulic and drift mining. As the town grew, the town became a wild and lawless place during it’s early years. Racial abuse was common, as was violence. Robberies and killings were a commonplace event. Joaquin Murieta, the bandit, was reputed to frequent the gambling dens of Mokelumne Hill. The year of 1851 was a bad year for crime, it was reported that “Death by violence seems to be the ruleâ€. “During a period of seventeen successive weeks.....a man was killed every weekendâ€. “Five men were once killed within a week.†Things became so bad that a vigilance committee was formed. Alarms would sound in the streets when serious trouble occurred, signaling the vigilance committee. One time a man was caught for stealing and sentenced to be hanged, just before he was hung, he confessed to eight murders between Mokelumne Hill and Sonora. Several other criminals were caught and punished, some were run out of town, the committee having done its job, disbanded in 1852. Mokelumne Hill served as the Calaveras County seat from 1852 to 1866. As the population continued to grow, the mines continued to pay, and the town continued to prosper. Today Mokelumne Hill is one of the more interesting mining towns found on Highway 49, with buildings and cemeteries dating back to the 1850’s.Shipping is USA only via USPS Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation. Be sure to check out my other ghost town and mining related items I have listed.
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