La Vita Madre – “THE MOTHER LODE”
The Mother Lode – Volume IV in “The GREAT AMERICAN SERIES” of e-books on gold.
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La Veta Madre is the Spanish term for The Mother Lode. If you’re a Recreational Gold Prospector you know it was an incredibly rich vein of gold that ran from Mariposa north approximately 300 miles to Sierra City in California. Over 500 mining towns grew quickly throughout the area where ever gold was found. Men came from all over the world by the thousands seeking their fortune. Very few of the miners actually became rich, while the merchants in the mining towns became very wealthy providing high priced supplies, tools and entertainment. A pan and a shovel were very necessary tools for the miner, and they cost as much as $50. In 1849 that was a lot of money. That was about 4 times higher than a shovel costs in 2007. First came the miners, then the saloons showed up next. Saloon keepers made $500, or more, profit on each barrel of whiskey. After that came the dance halls, gambling halls and bawdy houses. Last to come were the merchants. Because the boom towns only existed to support the miners needs, most of them disappeared quickly when the gold ran out. There are a lot of interesting remains of the mines, mining camps and old buildings to see today. There are historical parks and monuments also.