Butler's Lost Gold - Amador Co., CA

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Butler’s Forgotten Gold Caches

Amador County, CA

by

Gary B. Speck

NOTE: This information is quoted DIRECTLY from the 1881 edition of Thompson & West’s History of Amador County, CA. I have edited very slightly for content, as a number of derogatory and inflammatory terms for fellow Americans are used in the original, printed 120 years ago. Otherwise this is posted exactly as it was originally printed 120 years ago.

“THE BUTLER CLAIM was situated at the foot of the deep gorge which came out of the mountains, and was first owned by a party of African-American Miners. The river was dammed and turned as usual in river claims. The channel was straight and smooth and offered no holding-place for the gold, and all of the party except Butler left the claim. The following year Butler borrowed five or six hundred dollars of Uncle Pompey, another African-American man, and opened the claim a little lower down in a bend. It proved the richest piece of ground ever found in the vicinity, or even in the two counties, being a mass of gravel six or eight feet deep, literally lousy, with gold. A day's work with a rocker would produce ten, twenty, thirty, and even fifty thousand dollars. Fred Westmoreland, a cool and sensible person, not liable to be excited, says he frequently saw a milk pan, the ordinary gold pan, heaping full for a day's work, so full that it could not be lifted by the rim without tearing in pieces. Some of the dirt, not so rich, was washed in a long tom. According to Tom Love a hundred dollars' worth of dust could be seen following the dirt along the sluice-box, the hands who were tending it stealing the dust by the handful. A face or breast was worked on the bed of gravel, and the gold showed from the top to the bottom, a distance of six or eight feet. At the bottom the pure dust could be gathered with a spoon. When it was known how immensely rich it was, a number of men were anxious to have a share. The former partners of' Butler were hunted up and induced to sell interests in the claim. A number of suits were commenced against Butler, and some half-dozen or more lawyers engaged to share the proceeds if successful. A receiver was appointed to take charge of the claim pending the suits. Robert Bennet, known as Bob Bennet, a well-known citizen of Lancha Plana, was once appointed custodian for a day. In a few panfuls of dirt he obtained dust to the amount of two thousand two hundred dollars, which, “Damned fool that I was, I turned over to the court. Everybody was taking and keeping all they could get.” It was too much for the old man (Butler). He was taken sick with fever and shortly died. It was known by his friends that he had some eighty thousand dollars on deposit at Mokelumne Hill, as much more at Sacramento, and also immense sums buried in unknown spots. The Public Administrator took possession of the property and there was not enough found to pay a few small outstanding debts.”

That last section holds the key

“He was taken sick with fever and shortly died. It was known by his friends that he had some eighty thousand dollars on deposit at Mokelumne Hill, (and) much more at Sacramento, and also immense sums buried in unknown spots.”

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GTUSA’s Treasure Legend Page was first posted in 1998

FIRST POSTED: Nov 10, 2001

LAST UPDATED: Dec 17, 2007