Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 5.djvu/400

 390 PETER H. BURNETT. old acquaintances, some from Missouri and others from Oregon. Among those from Missouri were Dr. John P. Long and his brother Willis, for whom this bar was named. I had not seen either of them for about six years, though our families were connected by marriage, Dr. Benjamin Long, another brother, having married my youngest sister, Mary Burnett. I was perfectly at home here. Nextday my brother-in-law, John P. Rogers, my nephew, Horace Burnett (both of whom had come with me from Oregon), and myself, purchased a mining location, front- ing on the river about twenty feet, and reaching back to the foot of the hill about fifty feet. We bought on credit, and agreed to pay for it $300 in gold dust, at the rate of $16 per ounce. We at once unloaded the two wagons, and sent them and the oxen and horses back to Nye's rancho, where we made our headquarters. As already stated, I had brought from Oregon new and suitable plank for a rocker, in the bottom of my wagon beds. The only material we had to purchase for our gold rocker was one small sheet of zinc. I went to work upon the rocker which I finished in one day ; and then we three set to work on the claim with a will. I dug the dirt, Horace Burnett rocked the rocker, and John P. Rogers threw the water upon the dirt containing the gold. Within about three or four days we were making $20 each daily, and we soon paid for our claim. We rose by daybreak, ate our breakfast by sunrise, worked until noon ; then took dinner, went to work again about half-past 12, quit work at sundown, and slept under a canvas tent on the hard ground. In the summer months the heat was intense in this deep, narrow, rocky, sandy, valley. The mercury would rise at times to 118 degrees in the shade. Dr. John P. Long told me that the sand and rocks became so hot during the day, that a large dog he had with him would