Auction # 75 - The Sescal Sale

(Nevada) "Rough and Ready. Apl. 23rd. 1851". Dateline on great early miner's letter recapping trip from Sacramento to Rough & Ready reading in part "…we ae now at Rough and Ready on Deer creek a tributary of the Yuba, about 45 miles from Marysville and about 9 miles from Nevada City… March 14th Took a pretty early start, had a very pleasant ride, passed by Sutters fort, it is quite a sizeable fort built of adobies, though somewhat delapidated…the owner of the ranch advised us not to attempt to cross the mountains at present a the snow would probably be very deep, considering discression to be the better part of valour, we took his advice and turn back to Bidwells bar… saw a man that came down from the mountains, said the snow was 2ft deep and still snowing…we could hear nothing encouraging on the middle Feather where we were, we determined to go over on the Yuba at Long bar, kept at the river about 2 miles and stopped at Park bar, went 20 miles. As the miners did not seem to be doing much along here, we kept on higher and passed Barlows bar, crossed the river and soon after reached Roses bar…24th Pushed on again, reached Kentucky flat a little after noon… the diggings here are in a flat valley 4 to 8 ft deep, gold course and pays pretty well… Rough and Ready… here the diggings are in the ravines and washing the top dirt of the hills, a great many of the miners are doing wells, we hired out here at $5.00 pr day…"; separations and toning, Fine.
Estimate; $300 - 400.