[George S. Evans, White Pine Weather, Alta California, February 9, 1869]

 

            White Pine Weather.— Geo. S. Evans, formerly Adjutant General of the State of California, writes as follows from Treasure City, January 31st:

            It has been storming now three days very severely. More snow has fallen than at any time before this winter, which will much retard prospecting and work in the mines: in fact, everything must be at a dead stand-still, except in mines that have been opened for some time. I never in my life saw such a day and night as yesterday and last night; language cannot begin to give an idea of how rough it was. I slept in a miner's cabin last night with the snow drifting through the cracks all over us, and could not keep warm with a little stove burning all night, and all the blankets, coats, etc., we could find. To-day it is not snowing, but cloudy or foggy, with a strong wind drifting the snow from the ground and keeping the air full, as though it was actually snowing — the sun trying hard to get out, and making its appearance for a moment every hour or so. Excitement is great here, property of all kinds is on the rise, people paying from $250 to $350 per thousand feet for lumber, and building as fast as lumber and carpenters can be procured. Next spring and summer the rush will be great, and one can now scarcely conjecture what prices lots in the business portion of these towns will reach."