Jun 12 at 12:00 PM - Sale 2708 -

Sale 2708 - Lot 42

Estimate: $ 600 - $ 900
(CALIFORNIA.) Account books and diaries of the Maguire family, hydraulic mine operators in Nevada County. 8 volumes, most about 14 x 8 inches; moderate wear, a few leaves torn out. Liberty Hill, CA and elsewhere, 1876-1930
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Additional Details

The Maguire family were the leaders of the small gold-mining district of Liberty Hill in Nevada County. Patriarch Franklin T. Maguire (1824-1899) was one of the original settlers in the area in 1853; his son William Maguire Sr. (1861-1936) introduced hydraulic mining there in the 1880s; and William Maguire Jr. (1902-1981) remained active in the area into the 1930s. The family resided in the nearby village of Dutch Flat, a couple miles south over the line into Placer County.

The earliest diary is written in an 1876 book, but entries are dated from 1879 to 1897, apparently by Franklin and William Maguire. On 29 January [1879?]: "Chinese commence to lay off for China New Year." On 1 and 8 February 1888, interlopers appeared: "A couple of d___ skunks or worse named Woodword & Stearns passed here on the way to Liberty Hill. . . . A.B. Woodworth visited Liberty Hill today with another skunk of the same stripe. His name is as yet unknown, but he is a spy." These spies are tracked over the succeeding entries. A long 28 February 1897 entry describes the perfect explosion of a mining drift.

The 1916 and 1917 daily diaries have sporadic entries in several hands, with a mix of family and mining news. The 1916 diary has a Siskiyou Mines Company report laid in. Several entries discuss Chinese workers. On 27 January 1916: "Ah Woe phones to let Chinese know a Chinaman is packing over." On 7 February 1916: "Geo. Bellew, an old Yuba ditch tender, got killed at Magra below Gold Run." 7 photographs are laid down on pages 79-83 of the 1917 diary. Some entries relate to the "Anti-Debris Association"--a group opposing hydraulic mining. On 21 February 1916: "Lowell Creekbaum and Mann, claiming to be employees of Cal'a Deb. Com., visited mine as spies. Sneaked up around the claim, saw Mrs. Maguire, talked a few minutes, and returned to Dutch Flat." These men were carefully tracked through counterintelligence sources over the next several days. The 27 February 1917 entry reads "Mr. Munson staying here at Dutch Flat. Mr. Munson to act as a spie for the Anti-Debris Association."

The earliest account book is an 1876 daily time book showing hours worked and pay for miners at Liberty Hill and Christmas Hill, with later sporadic entries from 1885 to 1902. Also included are a cash book for Liberty Hill from 1895-1898, with later entries from 1924-1927; ledger from 1910-1911; ledger from 1928-1930; and pay ledger from around the same period.

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