Claude Chana discovers gold
Posted By admin on July 1, 2009
Chana, still at Sigard’s Ranch, learned of Marshall’s discovery at the Sawmill in Coloma and set out with a party to try his luck. On May 16, 1848 Claude Chana found gold in the Auburn Ravine, and Baltimore Ravine.
By April 1849 North Fork Dry Diggings had become a well established mining camp. The camp went by many names including; North Fork Dry Diggins, Woods Dry Diggings, Auburn Ravine, Baltimore Ravine, Rich Ravine, Spanish Ravine, and others. These small ravines acted like ”catch basins” for lumps of gold deposited from ancient river channels. Each rain brought more gold nuggets into now fast flowing streams.
In August of 1849 the camp was officially named “Auburn.”
The winter of 1849-50 saw thousands of miners in Auburn, high water in streams and rivers and freezing weather forced many, to hold over in the best shelters they could find or build, near sources of supplies.
Mike is the webmaster and caretaker for the Old Town Auburn website. He is president of CCS Inc, a software development company.
He has an extensive programming and accounting background. Mike has installed or assisted in installing various accounting software solutions at over 500 companies during the past 30 years. He lives in Old Town Auburn, California with his wife, Patty who is the proprietor of Victorian Hill Gardens, an outside garden wedding venue, also located in Old Town Auburn.
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