1850 American Gold Tycoon.

Chapter 151 The Golden Lake in Nevada! (4K)

Three years have passed since the gold rush of 1848.

In 1848, even a fool could get rich if you had a pair of well-equipped hands in California.

At that time, no one stole gold, because gold was everywhere, and it was less risky to pick up gold directly than to steal gold.

Because stealing gold also faces the risk of being found and shot.

In 1849, especially at the beginning of 1849, there were still many lucky people who found large pieces of gold and became rich overnight.

After 1850, fewer and fewer people got rich overnight through gold panning, and more people who made a fortune learned from Liang Yao and made a fortune by reselling daily necessities and gold panning tools.

From the end of 1850 to the present, almost no individuals and small groups have made a fortune through gold mining.

With the rise of the big gold mining companies and the steady flow of machines from the East arriving in California to be fed into the mines, and mining lands became less and less.The living space of individuals and small gold mining organizations is also getting smaller and smaller.

In front of large-scale gold mining companies and machines, they feel extremely powerless, and the dream of gold mining seems to be getting farther and farther away from them and becoming more and more out of reach.

Stubborn gold diggers still guard the small piece of land they bought in California with a lot of money, digging down day and night, praying to God to bless them to dig out gold in their land.

And some smart gold diggers who are not satisfied with the status quo choose another way: to the foothills of the eastern Sierra Nevada!
Rumor has it that there is a mysterious lake in Nevada, the sand and stones in the lake are full of gold!Countless gold!
Some people scoffed at this exaggerated rumor, while others believed it to be true.

This is the last hope of an individual gold prospector to get rich overnight, and many gold prospectors choose to believe this exaggerated rumor.

The lake of gold has become the last belief supporting their gold panning.

The natural conditions in Nevada are far worse than those in California. It is arid, lacks supplies and food, and is infested with wild animals.

As for the Indians, no one who has been in California for some time finds them scary.

After those white people who had never seen Indians arrived in California, they even suspected that the editors who wrote newspaper articles had never seen Indians and deliberately discredited Indians in the newspaper.

The Indians were not scary. The gold diggers who went to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada even hoped that they could meet the Indians on the road, because the Indians could not only act as guides for them, but they could also buy some supplies from the Indians.

It's just a pity that due to the harsh natural conditions in the Nevada area, there are very few Indians here.

Indians are also people, and they also like areas with more favorable natural conditions and more suitable for human survival.

On the road leading to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, there are many corpses everywhere. These are gold diggers who want to find the golden lake of Sierra Nevada.

They either died of hunger and severe cold, or of disease, or of wild beast attacks or even of the same kind.

Not surprisingly, at least a third of people died during the Gold Rush, and even if they escaped disease and cannibalism, some took their own lives.

During the gold rush period in California, the gold diggers left more than [-] suicide notes. Before leaving, these impoverished gold prospectors abandoned their families and promised their families that they would return home with riches and clothes.

But most people still lost to the reality. After arriving in California, they were still impoverished. On the contrary, they got involved in many bad habits, such as drinking, taking drugs, gambling, and whoring (prostitution) to escape reality. In the end, they chose to end up in solitude with nothing. own life.

Now, Martin and Fuller are also on their way to Golden Lake, Nevada.

Martin and Fuller turned out to be one of the 49-year-old miners, to be precise, they were a member of the Boston Company.

When Hawke killed the accountant of the Boston Company and robbed the company of a small amount of gold, Martin and Fuller left with Hawke.

But after they left, their journey to pan for gold was not smooth. Later, Hawke chose to join Brandon's gang. Soon, Martin and Fuller chose to leave their old partner Hawke and the gang, because they became bandits with these deserters. But to the gallows.

Facts proved that their choice was very correct. Soon after, Brandon and his gang were wiped out by Colonel Liang Yao of the California Infantry Regiment.

Martin and Fuller considered returning to the Boston Company, but quickly gave up the idea when they thought that they had taken the company's few gold with them when they left.

If the company takes them to court, although they are not guilty of death as accomplices, they will inevitably be imprisoned.

Especially now that the governor of California is still Robinson, the leader of the Boston Company, they dare not go back and join the Boston Company.

After thinking for a long time, Martin and Fuller, who got nothing in California, decided to try their luck at the Golden Lake in Nevada. Maybe there is really gold there?

They came to the Sierra Nevada mountains at an altitude of tens of thousands of feet (3048 feet is about [-] meters), and it is very cold here.

To make matters worse, heavy snow has been falling for half a month, and the entire Sierra Nevada has been frozen by heavy snow.

There is a vast expanse of whiteness in front of them, whiteness, the whiteness that makes people desperate and confused everywhere, they can't see a little bit of gold that they have only seen in dreams.

Soon, they lost their way in the complex terrain of the Sierra Nevada foothills.

Martin and Fuller were depressed to the extreme, and the hope that kept them going was slowly dying out.

Under a dead tree covered in ice and snow, lay a cold corpse. His body was also covered in ice and snow, but neat cuts on his thighs could be vaguely seen.

This neat incision was cut off by a person with a knife, and it was definitely not the mark left by the bite of a wild beast.

As for where the cut meat went, thinking about it makes people shudder, the same kind is even more terrifying than the wild beasts that haunt the mountains.

Thinking of this, Martin and Fuller glanced at each other in unison.

They prayed in their hearts, hoping that they would not encounter this situation. In fact, their current situation is very bad. Their supplies have become less and less, and the day is getting closer and closer.

But God seems to favor them, they met a group of people in the mountains, they are not gold diggers, they are expeditions, they have enough supplies!

"Sir, this is all the gold I have on me. For God's sake, please sell us some supplies."

Martin and Fuller took off their gloves and toasted their hands over the fire to warm their stiff hands, and then pulled out a half vial of placer gold, weighing about two-thirds of an ounce, from their bodies.

These poor alluvial gold is all they have now. In order to survive, they can only hand over the gold.

The leader of this expedition is none other than Fremont, who came to Nevada to explore the Pacific Railway route.

Fremont couldn't see this little gold, but the benevolent Fremont decided to help the two poor gold diggers. He was well prepared and carried sufficient supplies.

If giving these two men a little material would keep them alive, Fremont was happy to do so.

Fremont asked the servants to bring two fur blankets and enough supplies to last the two of them for a month in the mountains, and refused them gold.

"Give up your illusory dreams. While you are still alive, go back to Sacramento or California to find a job. There is a shortage of workers there. Although it can't make you rich and rich, it is still not a problem to have enough food and a well-off life."

Fremont did not want two more entities in the Sierra Nevada, and persuaded Martin and Fullerdao.

"Thank you very much, what is your name? I will repay you in the future, thank you for saving your life." Oliver Martin said.

"It doesn't matter what my name is, I just hope you can listen to my advice." Fremont said lightly, he did not want to reveal his name.

Fremont left these two poor gold diggers to eat a hot meal. After drinking and eating, Martin and Fuller set foot on the road to find the golden lake again.

In order to come to California to seek gold, both of them were carrying huge debts of thousands of dollars, which made the already poor family even worse, and there was no turning back for them.

Unknowingly, it seemed that God was guiding them, and they finally walked out of the forest and came to an open space.

Wait, this is not an empty lot!This is a frozen lake!

"Golden Lake! Golden Lake! We finally found the Golden Lake!"

"Gold! Gold! We found gold!"

The two howled at the frozen lake with forgetfulness, venting their suppressed emotions like wild animals.

They scrambled out of the snow and came to the lake, took out their tools and eagerly dug through the ice.

They dug for several days and dug several ice holes until they were exhausted, but they did not find the gold they dreamed of in the so-called golden lake.

"A lie! The so-called Golden Lake is a complete lie!"

Fuller, who had not gained anything for a week, was the first to collapse. He slammed the pickaxe in his hand on the ice and cursed those who spread rumors about the Golden Lake.

"Those who spread rumors should all go to hell!"

At this moment, all the fantasies and myths about the Golden Lake in Fuller's mind were shattered. He had come to California to pan for gold for more than two years and still found nothing.

Go to the golden lake of TMD!Go fucking gold!Everything is fake, everything is distant.

"Hey, my old man, take heart, have we not found this lake after all the hardships along the way?
You have to believe in Almighty God, he will bless us, and we were lucky enough to meet noble people to help us on the way.

At least we are still alive now, there is hope in life, and everything is not so bad. "

No gold was found, and Oliver Martin was also discouraged.

But his mentality is better than Fuller's. Although his own heart is not better than Fuller's, Oliver Martin still keeps smiling to encourage his companions.

Fuller covered his face and wept, and a big man couldn't help crying. There are so many people who made a fortune from the gold rush in California, why didn't he?Why is God so unfair?
"Fuller, you're tired. Take a rest first. I'll make you something to eat. I dropped two fish from the lake in the morning. It happens to be one for each of us. Today we can eat something fresh."

Martin patted Fuller on the shoulder, then turned to prepare the grilled fish, which was their lunch today.

When Fuller returned to the lake, he sat on a big rock in a daze. He thought of his wife and children far away in Massachusetts, and thought of the promise he made before leaving, and he cried more and more uncontrollably.

Inadvertently, his hand touched his waist, to be precise, it was the handle of the Colt Five revolver on his waist.

He took out his pistol, with a magazine full of five rounds. The guns of California miners are always loaded with bullets, which is their habit, because you never know what threat you will face in the next second.

Fuller took out his gun, and Martin, who was grilling fish not far away, was whistling cheerfully, and then hummed the song he had also hummed.

I'm from Alabama with my beloved banjo.

Going to Louisiana to find my love.

It rained heavily at night, but it was still dry on the day I set out.

The sun is shining, but my heart is cold.

Susanna.
Last night was more peaceful, I fell asleep, and in my dream I saw Susannah strolling down the mountain to greet her.

She was eating Joe's Oatmeal.

But the tears are crystal clear.

I left my hometown to find you.

Suzanne, don't cry,
oh suzanne don't you cry for me
With tears in his eyes, Fuller raised his gun and pointed the gun at Martin, and the picture of sharing weal and woe with Martin in the past appeared in his mind.

In the end, Fuller still didn't pull the trigger on Martin.

Martin, who was grilling fish, didn't realize that there was a pistol pointed at him behind him at this time, and he was still humming the song.

Oh Suzanne.

When Martin hummed to Suzanne, Fuller thought of his wife Charlene. He took out the suicide note he had prepared from his pocket and put it on his lap, and the envelope was wet with tears.

"Charlene, I'm sorry, please, Martin."

Fuller muttered to himself.

Suddenly, there was a clear gunshot by the empty lake.

Martin, who was grilling fish, was startled, and the grilled fish in his hand fell into the fire.

Martin gasped, and a chill ran up his spine, and he subconsciously turned his head to look at Fuller.

I saw that John Fuller had fallen to the ground, and the blood splashed from his head stained the snow-white ground red.

"John, don't die! John!"

By the time Martin got there, Fuller had stopped breathing, and now he would be alone.

Martin wiped away his tears, picked up the blood-splattered suicide note, wiped off the blood on the envelope, and carefully put it in his arms.

Fuller told him that if he died, he would send a suicide note to his wife, and Martin also had a written suicide note.

Because in the gold rush, you never know if you'll see the sun the next day.

After putting away Fuller's suicide note, Martin walked towards the fire in a numb manner, picked up the scorched fish in the fire, and devoured it.

After wolfing down the meal, Martin wiped his mouth, wiped his hands, stood up and picked a geomantic treasure around for Fuller.

After determining the location, Martin rolled up his sleeves, picked up a shovel and started digging towards the ground.

Martin devoted himself to digging Fuller's grave until evening.

After half a day of excavation, Martin was exhausted and out of breath. He was sore all over. Digging a cemetery by himself was not easy.

Martin was so tired that he lay in the grave prepared for Fuller. He was panting heavily and didn't even bother to move. He planned to sleep and rest for a while before continuing to dig tomorrow.

A stone, a stone from a grave, made Martin's back feel uncomfortable.

"TMD, damn stone, why did you appear here?"

Martin stood up cursing. He decided to get rid of the damned rock first. Without the damned rock, Fuller would be more comfortable lying here tomorrow.

Martin took two shovels and suddenly realized that something was wrong.

Under the shining of the setting sun, the stone emits a golden and seductive light. This stone is actually golden? !
"my God!"

Martin laughed crazily. He squatted down and impatiently dug away the soil around the stone with his hands, and lifted the heavy stone up.

Where is this stone, this is a solid gold nugget!
Solid gold nuggets over 150 lbs!

This is several pounds heavier than the California Star unearthed by Liang Yao blasting the American River last year!
The California Star weighs only 145 pounds!

Martin was filled with emotions. He cried while holding the big gold nugget covered in dirt, but there was an indescribable smile on his face.

"Gold, gold, I've found gold at last."

At the end of March 1851, the California Gold Rush was coming to an end. Oliver Martin, a former Boston Company stalwart, finally found gold after more than two years.

The largest natural gold nugget in the history of America was found, a natural gold nugget weighing 151 pounds and worth more than [-] US dollars.

Oliver Martin became the last little man in the history of the California Gold Rush to get rich overnight through the gold rush.
　This is true, not fabricated. The largest natural gold nugget in California was dug by Oliver Martin. A 151-pound (68.49kg) natural solid gold nugget would be worth three or four million dollars today. Only sold at the price of gold. This person also got a good death in the end, became a well-known rich man, and one of the few winners in the gold rush.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)