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June 15. Thursday. (T.S.R. 56. 2 P.M. 83. S.S. 78.)June 16. Friday. This has been an excessively warm day. Dr.Luther and I started this morning for a trip to themountains. I suppose it must have been ten o'clockbefore we started away from the store, as we took alongwith us provisions and bedding to use in casewe wished to camp out. We stopped above Comancheby the side of a ditch of good water and ate ourlunch of crackers, beef and cake and then proceededon our way, arriving in Mokelumne Hill at fiveo'clock. Here we had intended to stop for the night,but here so high up in the mountains, and at thistime of the day, it seemed so uncomfortably warmthat we thought we should enjoy ourselves betterto journey on a little father, than to stop. We wereinformed that it was but six miles to Rich Gulchand concluded to proceed to that place but I feltrather sorry that we did, for it was a very hard rideover a very rough country, and we did not arrivein s, until about dark, and I was so veryweary, that I felt as if it would take a long timeto rest me. Had it not been for my being so tiredI should have enjoyed this last part of our ridevery much indeed, for the scenery was romanticand beautiful. We had a view of San Andreas in thedistance and I think there can be but few suchviews found elsewhere, the country is so rough andmountainous. At Rich Gulch, we still find theheat very oppressive. (T.S.R. 62. 2 P.M. 98. S.S. 82.)June 17. Saturday. We have traveled today from Rich Gulch tothe Licking Fork of the Mokelumne River, whereMr. Hatfield resides. The heat and rats made thenight so uncomfortable, that I did not rest well,and felt very weary when we started, so that Idid not enjoy the ride as I otherwise should.The first place reached was Railroad Flat, just nowquite flourishing. Above this place we saw minesworked by heavy hydraulic pressure, and still further1871 above, deserted tunnels and claims, where largesums of money and much labor have been expended,but they are now abandoned, because they will not"pay." We ate our lunch beneath the shade of somelarge pines, beside a flume of good water, and enjoyedit much. O the breath of these pine groves,I do enjoy it so much. I felt as if I would wish tostay there for hours, but we were obliged to press on, soas to arrive at our stopping-place before the Sabbath.But the weather is cooler here, and we have morestrength and courage. Passing on, we reached a by-roadwhich was the right one to take in order to go to Mr. Hatfield'sbut as Dr. had never been over the roadbefore, and Luther only once, they did not know enoughto turn off, and we went straight on, up, up,nearly to the top of Butte Mountain, an elevationnearly as high as any other in sight before we werefully aware of our mistake. Though no person appearedof whom we could inquire, Luther became convincedthat we were wrong, from the fact that ourroad led us farther and farther away from Blue Mt.which is near the place of our destination. So we turnedback, having last nearly two hours, and tried ourselvesand horses needlessly. Having at last turned into the right road, we were soon at Mr. Hatfield's. Foundthem at home and well. They have a beautiful locationbeside a cool stream, which ever murmurs over itsrocky bed, the home of small brook trout. Their homeis a small valley, surrounded by lofty mountains, upon whose sides grow price and cedar trees of large dimensionswhose fragrant breath is so pleasant and reviving.The things of Nature are their only surroundings, andMrs. Hatfield and her daughter are almost as wild anduncultivated as the forest growth around their home.The mother has always lived on the frontier, and thedaughter Ida, was born on this spot, and has spentnearly all her life here. Though but twelve years old, sheweighs 120 pounds. (T.S.R. 58. 2 P.M. 84. S.S. 73.)
Date Original
January 1871
Dates Covered
1870-1874
Source
Original diary dimensions: 22 x 33 cm.
Resource Identifier
Locke_Diary_1870-1874_Image064.tif
Publisher
Holt-Atherton Special Collections, University of the Pacific Library
Rights Management
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Keywords
Delia Locke, diaries, women, diarist, California, Locke-Hammond Family Papers, Lockeford, CA, Dean Jewett Locke, rural life, rural California, 19th Century, church, temperance organizations, Mokelumne River Ladies' Sewing Circle, temperature recordings, journal
