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CDV - ID Phinehas Willard, by E.A. Kusel Montgomery St. Oroville. California. Willard struck it rich in a gold mine near Oroville. see write up below THE DOGTOWN NUGGET was the crowning glory of the big-chunk order in Butte county. In 1853, Phineas Willard located a claim two miles east of what is now Magalia, and worked it alone for some time. It was always pretty rich and paid well. In 1858, a company was formed, consisting of Wilhatl, Ira Wetherbee and Wyatt M. Smith. The claim was a hydraulic one, and they had one pipe in operation. On the fourteenth of August, 1850, while the proprietors were absent, Chaimcey Wright, one of the men employed, piped out a chunk weighing fifty-four pounds in the rough. The piece was in a slide from the side of the mountain. Ii-a Wetherbee was spending the day in Dogtown, when, in the afternoon, several of his men came in hurriedly, picked him up from his chair and set him on the counter. Thinking a terrible calamity had befallen somebody, Wetherbee inquired, in alarmed tones, what was the matter. They told him he would have to treat before he could find out. This preliminary matter being adjusted, the news was broken gently to him, after which high carnival was held all night. Dr. Stearns was superintending the mine, and the following notice was sent to George H. Crossette, at Oroville:— " DOGTOWN, 14th August, 1859. " EDITOR OF BUTTE RECORD—Sir: Messrs. Willard & Co. to-day took out of their claim one small nugget, weighing the small sum of fifty-four (54) pounds, and fifty (50) oz. fine gold. Pretty good pay, this. Beat it who can? The claim is superintended by our worthy citizen, Dr. A. K. Stearns." The chunk was taken to San Francisco and melted into a bar which weighed forty-nine and one-half pounds, and netted $10,690. The fine gold taken out that day amounted to $3,000, making an entire yield for the day of $13,690. This claim was owned by Wetherbee, Willard and Smith until 1861.

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Physical Location

Arc.MS.56, Box 20, Folder 4