Monday, January 16, 2017

Let's see if we can still do this!

A longtime dear friend (don't say "old" around and old person) asked me to post this in the Simpson thread. I have been distracted lately and haven't had a lot of time, but if you don't have time for your friends what is life all about? Huh?

So, I decided that I would not only post it below, but start a new thread. With a few minor deletions to protect the  guilty.



From Olmanriver

Hi Ernie, I have had an impossible twenty minutes trying to post on your blog, which wants a different browser than my firefox to get past the robot test. Could you, would you, please post this for me on the Simpson thread? Thanks either way.

Nature has provided me with a lot of future firewood! Not too bad up in the hills other than buckets of rain propelled by high winds, lots of 40-60mph winds, 80 mph makes my picture window bulge, didn't get near there. Need this sunshine to dry out february's fireplace offerings.

Be well, olmanriver


From Olmanriver...
"unknown"-- Ray Schultz in Valleys of Mendocino makes the briefest of mentions of Rock Tree Valley, just to say that it is east of Willits at the foot of what is called Red Grade. The valley is on the road to Hearst, which was, as you mentioned, on the old old road to Covelo.

Hello to all you ol' regulars from the 'good ol' days of blogging'!

Two crows! Great to hear from you... I have been wondering about you for sometime.. I salute you for your strength to struggle and survive.
Some years back you suggested panning under the rock crusher at a Pville quarry for gold. I thought of you recently when I found an 1880's era newspaper article about some of our locals filing claims on a gold ore ledge on Mare Ridge, by Pville. Don't think it played out, but I heard the current quarry owner has a fireplace mantle made of white quartz. Just the stuff that gold, and fool's gold are found in.
Hope your mining luck has been better than theirs! Glad to hear you are still upright sir.

Spy- do stay in touch.

thanks for posting this Ernie...  


My Pleasure River.
I also miss my old friends and I join in wishing Two crows good health. Two Crows and I have many text conversations. He is a wealth of knowledge and advice for me.



63 comments:

Two crows said...

OMR does sohum history show Tea was grown in the 1800's ?

Two crows said...

Ernie, I'm looking for history of Pacific islander visits to mattoleriver valley? Have DNA tests been done on locall tribes? Can anyone help? Peace from the desert.

Ernie Branscomb said...

Two Crows
I've been talking to OMR and he is looking into it. He has all kinds of info That is nor quite suitable for public consumption. Can I give him your text number???

Two crows said...

Yes thanks.

Anonymous said...

With sailors coming up and down the coast there was a good chance of interracial 'intermingling' Two Crows. The only specific mention of a Hawaiian, or Kanaka as they were called back then, in the Mattole is a reference to a Kanaka scout in the Work Party which came up the coast looking for beaver trapping areas in the early 1830's (1832 or 1833). When the large scouting party of fur trappers and Native consorts turned back somewhere near Bear Harbor or Shelter Cove, their Kanaka scout named Kilota (sp?)went on into the Mattole region. j
Blood quantum is very sensitive info for most, you might google up the Bear River tribe HQ and ask them about any Hawaiian bloodlines.
Shelter Cove being the only safe harbor for some distance in either direction it is easy to imagine that there were a number of European and Native encounters unrecorded. I would love to know the backstory of what happened for a partial set of Spanish armor and a dagger ending up in a stump to be found near Bear Harbor in the 1960's!
The Humboldt Historian also mentioned a band of Natives near Oil Creek said to be of lighter complexion than most of the local people... don't have a source... just some oral history. Be well. sorry for the delay and thanks to Ernie for facilitating.

Two crows said...

Anastozi
I grew up with the chum ash they told me the story poly islanders coming to calif. In 70 met a boy at cr had the Blu ratio from Lolita rancho told me same story but around 900ad.


Two crows said...

Blue tattoo on forhead

Two crows said...

6 families of Anasazi lived in ash meadows near here. Trade goods from the chumash and bear harbor were in Anasazi Graves found in 1948.

Two crows said...

OMR read pacific coast pirates and Spanish galleons by DAVE Sanders field 2010

Anonymous said...

Thanks Two Crows.... that forehead tatto on the Mattole Natives sure sounds like a Hindu influence, but that is just speculation. Powers recorded them tattoing like that in the 1870's. omr

Ernie Branscomb said...

When I was a kid, abalone diving in rough seas, I got slammed into a sea urchin. The spines poked holes in my leg that hurt like hell. When they healed up I had purple scars where I was poked. I wonder it the Indians used sea urchin juice for dye?

Two crows said...

The book 1421 talks about chinese coming to humboldt thats why I asked about tea grown in 1800's or Asian tea found growing wild. Yes ernie that's the die used in south pacific.

Two crows said...

Spanish galleons would leave Peru. Sail north to San Blas mx then on to false cape turn left and sail to Manila. Then make the return trip. Sohum to manila is the shortest route.

Unk John said...

Don't know too much about this topic, but many years ago I read a book titled "It began in Babel" which was about ethnology. Somewhere in there I remember seeing something about the possibility of Chinese making it to North America, although I cannot remember when it may have happened. I think he was referring to ancient times. He mentioned old Chinese documents that said Chinese sailors traveled thousands of "li" on the ocean.

I have no clue how far a li is, but the author seemed to believe that at least one interpretation would mean that it was far enough that they could have reached North America.

I guess I would have to say that I don't know doo doo.

However, I must say that I'm just glad that Ernie started writing on his blog again.

Two crows said...

Ernie: tell me about the mosier underground gold mine alderpoint 1940

Two crows said...

Have to be careful when we talk about gold. No gps just history. People go crazy if they know where old claims are.

Ernie Branscomb said...

The only mine that I know of is the Island Mountain Copper mine. There is quite a bit of printed history about it. It was in operation in the early days of the railroad. They mined copper and silver. They got enough silver to pay the overhead and the copper was pure profit. I'm not sure what closed the mine, but they tried to reopen the mine in the 70's. I may not be right, but they operation looked a lot like an investor scam. They made a showing of opening the mine shaft. When they did open the shaft, the water contained inside drained into the main Eel River. The highly copper-polluted green colored water killed some fish. The Ca. Dept. of Fish and Game were on scene, and they demanded that they close the shaft immediately, and never open it again. End of story.

There was some gem quality crystals in the mine. I'm not sure if any of them were sold as part of the operation, but I doubt it.

Ernie Branscomb said...

There is gold, I just researched it on my own blog. click on the following link....

click this link

Two crows said...

Tell me about a gold claim on bear ck east of garberville from 1920. It's a patiented claim.

Ross Sherburn said...

Is this blog alive again?? If so,I'll check in more often!

Unk John said...

@ Ross Sherburn - I think, actually I hope, it has a pulse.

Ross Sherburn said...

Guess we'll see? I wanted to ask Ernie about an airplane................

Joe said...

Hey Ernie. Whussssup?

Joe

Anonymous said...

I don't know whusssup with Ernie... he's still on this side of the grass, so to speak... he seems to have the time to talk on blogs about his sock colors, but he is ignoring us?! He told a story about his 1992 earthquake experience and got a compliment for his story telling skills.... it made me MISS this blog and good ol days' conversations we had here.... sigh...

olmanriver said...

Ernie is quite pre-occupied with dismantling the finest collection of important junk and appliance fixings from his workshop/storage area and historic 'wool-gathering' backroom. (not to be confused with where his wife Janice gathers her wool). Tis another signpost on the end of an era. It is remarkable that under the pressure of moving and general busyness he will take the time to chat with his 'senior moment' friends and help the confused find things they have lost....but that is just what kind of a fella Ernie is.
Charlie2Crows: is this the location of the Bear Crick goldmine? https://thediggings.com/mines/usgs10030551/map I was quite surprised to hear you mention that location as the area is primarily known as part of the coal vein extending up the East Branch and crossed by Bear,Buck and Rancheria creeks. A few weeks ago I did my spring survey of the Southfork riverbed and found three palm sized chunks of the coal near the mouth of the East Branch that this year's highwaters washed down. As well as these East Branch locations, there are two coal outcrops n. of Garberville, and one on Bill Wood's old property. Who knew?
Speaking of the end of an era, with the exception of some erosion abating cloths on the park side of the river, one wouldn't even suspect that there had been a dam there. The river has changed its course, of course, but I miss the good ol' days of the dam and the lake, and the swimming holes below the dam and my otter friends who shared the locale with me. Changes, changes...

Ctwocrows said...

To omr,

two claims current and paid current. 1.8km and 2.3km east of garberville.

Two crows said...

Gold mines with pliovone river rock. Woods property has a magnesium mine also.

Two crows said...

Sorry pliovone river rock

Two crows said...

Pliocine

Anonymous said...

Probably need a Facebook account, you can be moderator with pics old and new, and tales galore! I am married relative of Eva Leota Poe (my husbands grandmother) and William Henry Poe, been at Ancestry for years, love the comments and history. Thank you for so much time and work you have dedicated. I hope to add some interesting items soon.

Anonymous said...

Is Red Mountain "RED",because of the Manzanita brush on it?

Ctwocrows said...

Someone tell me about the Yreka haul road that went throught so him in 1864? Charlie Twocrows.

Twocrows said...

To OMR: In 1970 friends and i rode the north fork of the smith on truck tubes. Onetime it was too rough. We had walk out. There were bears every where. Raining bad. We found some caves. I think bears lived there. When we got back to smith river we asked our tolowa friends. They said never go back it is the home of OHMAH! In 2004 i read story in SF paper about hotshot that found caves in tht area. I think mt. Preston. They never revealed the location. Do you know this story? Twocrows.

Anonymous said...

Ohmah sounds like Bigfoot to me?

Anonymous said...

Never heard of that one Twocrows... I have been accumulating local cave stories lately, will add that one... ever hear of one up Bear Butte?

Twocrows said...

No ive never knew of caves in that area can you say if it near the old sawmill?

spyrock said...

i still haven't found out how my great great grandfather john s. kauble died in oct 1872. i haven't found anything in the paper. but i know from a previous incident involving uncle jack farley accusing someone of cattle rustling that john found innocent and was killed when john gave him his guns back when he drew on farley and his pals. 1872 was when the ghost dance hit laytonville and john would have been one of the men to take them to covelo for their protection. i heard there was a bloody run 2 from old man river and i think he died during that attack and that is why it was never in the papers. i have studied the ghost dance in long valley, cahto, back in that year. the indian story my great grandmother laura kauble simmerly told us was the kaubel family massacre in 1755. the kaubels were mennonights and the mother and father and their 8 children were attacked by lenape deleware indians in bucks county pa. 3 of the boys survived and two of the girls. one of the girls was taken captive by the indians and later returned to the whites. the other girl hid behind a log and that was the family story grandma simmerly told us back in the early 50'w before she died. so unless that captive girl had a baby with a lenape delaware indian, i don't have any indian blood. however, being mennonights, the kaubles were peaceful people and got along well with indians. the boys that survived were baptized as lutherans in their 20's so they could fight in the american revolution. so the kaubles in laytonville were probably lutherans. i am going to clear lake in late february and early march. is ernie or old man river still around. maybe we could drive up to garberville for the day.

spyrock said...

the simmerlys had two claims. one near the source of shell rock creek. and the other on the other side of iron peak mountain. both claims were within the boundaries of their 12,000 acre ranch that ran from spyrock road on the north down to the eel on the east and nash on the south. i still have the claims but we don't own the land anymore and they keep it all behind locked gates.

spyrock said...

my dad's family were quakers and i'm 10th generation native american on that side from 1679 in chester, pa. the quaker settlement. i was raised methodist. so i have both quaker and mennonight roots, people who were non violent and were persecuted because they refused to pay taxes to support standing armys of course, i have catholic and lutheran roots as well from other strands of my family. so many of my ancestors fought in wars like the american revolution etc. but mary coppock, my 10g grandmother was born in chester, pa in 1679.

spyrock said...

frank asbill, who with his brother pierce, discovered round valley for the whites, married a wylackie princess whose half breed son married a hawaiian princess from maui. that family moved to san francisco and one of their descendants writes letters to the editor of the ukiah newspaper about how terrible the whites were to the indians in covelo. those letters come from maui. so there is your pacific islander.

Ernie Branscomb said...

Spy
Both Olmanriver and I are still around. I am not around the store as much anymore because I have been working on the house, but that is a good place to contact me. The Store Number is 707-923-2734 Radio shack / Branscomb Center. Call and leave your number and I will call you back. Maybe Olmanriver and you and I can have lunch.
Ernie

spyrock said...

hi ernie, sounds good, i could message you on facebook as well but i don't know how often you do that. it doesn't look like much. so i will give you a call. we will be in nice on clear lake from feb 23 to march 2. so something like lunch would be swell. right now we can work around a good time for you. 24th to the 1st thanks, spy

Ernie Branscomb said...

You are right, facebook is the bane of my existence. Everytime I use it my phone keeps me up with its beeping all day and night.

I look forward to meeting you. Olmanriver (David Heller) came in to see me today, but I was out. I'll get in touch with him through email.
Later
Ernie

spyrock said...

great, sue will be with me. i've been living up at her 20 acres of forest since 2004 part time and full time since i retired in 2015. i think oregon put a curse on me, because all i have been doing up here is chopping down trees, taking down dead limbs, weed eating, and creating defensible space. 6 months after i brought all my stuff up here, we had the butte fire which was stopped less than a mile down the hill. so i have a whole different way of looking at the forest. hope to see you guys soon, spy.

Ernie Branscomb said...

We are looking forward to your visit.

spyrock said...

hi ernie,
it was great meeting you and spending the day with you. thanks for the lunch as well. we stopped at the mendocino historical society in willits on the way back to nice and the lady told us about the broiler restaurant in redwood valley above ukiah. so we had a great dinner that night as well. we left clear lake early to get back home before the snow. i was reading last of the west today and got to the part about the jewitt family which tells about old man jewitt stowing aboard a clipper in maine and escaping to san francisco in 1832, learn how to be a cowboy on a spanish land grant and make his way up to garberville and marry a wylackie named bell. whom frank asbil speaks very highly of. the story starts on page 175. the first taylor in san francisco. so it was special to meet darby. and now read about her family in last of the west. i like coincidences like this. i noticed that the book is easier to read this time around. i really appreciate it. hope you look us up if you have the time. spy

Anonymous said...

two crows--- the elevation on that cave was only 6-700 feet above the river, if it was a true account....


Twocrows said...

The Gasquet ranger station has asked me to come and do a video history of the trip down the north fork and the cave. A true account..... .. .

Twocrows said...

Ernie, Dow 10,000. Its time.

Anonymous said...

Is Bob McKee still kickin' ?

Anonymous said...

I used to get mixed up between tetherball and Tetherow…..

Twocrows said...

I turned 68. I dont believe i will live long enough to see a east-west rail in humboldt co. I understand the permiting would take forever. Or never.

Anonymous said...

I never shot at an airplane flying out of Garberville airport,but I had the means...…!

Twocrows said...

A history story for a history blog.
The secret history of operation gold finger. 1962 the usa had printed an over abundant amount of the american dollar. And was covered by the gold standard. Pres. Kennedy was afraid a holder of large quantities of us dollars would want to cash them in.
So congress went to great lengths to find gold in short order. Including nuclear explosions on the ocean floor to extract gold. But here's where humbolt plays a part in this story. The government dredged Humboldt bay to extract the years of accumulation in the bay. Secret records wont divulge the gold removed in 1963. Nixion took us off the gold standard and operation gold finger became secret history.
Pease from the desert. Twocrows

Spyrock said...

Hello out there, I'd like to introduce myself, I'm Spyrocks cousin Karen, and just found Ernie's blog, it might be some of you may or may not know of his sudden passing, his presence was huge and he is greatly missed, one of his many hats he wore was family historian, a big task at best, he has boxes upon boxes of family photos and memories. I've been reading his past posts and would love to add a bit along this path as I see family connections, especially Morgan, my grandmother was a Morgan, and my Mom a Nye,so the circle continues, I look forward to sharing and visiting along this path. I am new to living up here in Laytonville as well, closer to my ancestors for sure. Take care and talk soon, Karen

ROSS SHERBURN said...

So sorry to hear! Ernies blog isn't too active anymore.

Twocrows said...

Hey ross, i add comments but theres not the response as the days of old. When ernie started the blog, i assume was a midlife thing. Now hes cured. Peace from the desert. Twocrows.

Charlietwocrows said...

I really miss chatting with suzy blah blah. Ernie is suzy still around? Peace from the desert. Two crows. I've asked raven to find suzy.

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Charlietwocrows said...

Hey, ernie news alert. Walmart buys bayshore mall. Makes north end new store. Wow! Twocrows

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Dian Sastro said...

i have trane xr14 air conditioner in my home

Charlietwocrows said...

Ross you out there? Taking. Crown Victoria to the salt. Record just. Over 225. Might need a driver. B/G Pro. Two crows