Page:The History of Oregon Bancroft 1888.djvu/497

Rh north of the Columbia again in 1854 induced a fresh search for the 'lost diggings,' as the forgotten locality of the gold find in 1845 was called, which was as unsuccessful as the previous one. Such was the faith, however, of those who had handled the stray nugget, that parties resumed the search for the lost diggings, while yet the Indians in all the eastern territory were hostile, and mining was forbidden by the military authorities. The search was stimulated by Wallen's report of his road expedition down the Malheur in 1859, gold being found on that stream; and in 1860 there was formed in Lane county the company before mentioned, which was attacked by the Snakes, and robbed of several thousand dollars' worth of horses and supplies. In August 1861 still another company was organized to prosecute the search, but failed like the others; and breaking up, scattered in various parts of the country, a small number remaining to prospect on the John Day and Powder rivers, where sometime in the autumn good diggings were discovered.