Page:Oregon, her history, her great men, her literature.djvu/178

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friends. The next day the disastrous battle of BalFs Bluff was fought **Colonel Baker vralked up and do¥m before his men to encourage them, was suddenly as sail ed by a

single warrior, who came out in front of his comrades and

killed him with a revolver at five paces' distance;" and with the Orepon Senator feil half of the Federals engaged in the battle ot Ball s Bluff.

Gold Discovered in Eastern Oregon. The Blue Bucket Mine, The discovery of gold at Jacksonville in 1851, to* gether with later discoveries, gave rise to many fabulous stories that grew into the gold miner's mythology. Among these exciting myths was the story of the Blue Bucket Mine, which remains a mysteiy to this day, although many explanations have been offered as to its origin. One of these explanations was that some children belonging to an emigrant train, which was encamped on the Malheur Rivtt, found shining pebbles in a brook where they were wading. The pebbles were thrown into a blue bucket and brought to camp, where th^ were hammered flat on a wagon tire, ' and declared to be nuggets of gold. Whereupon the mine was called "The Blue Bucket Mine," from the blue bucket that was filled with gold. This was only one of the numerous stories told regarding the origin of the name "Blue Bupket Mine;" and it is probable that no one ynXi ever know the true origin of the name nor the location of the mystic mine. But the story proved valuable in that it spread until, with other stories, it stimulated gold hunting in Eastern Oregon with the result that rich gold mines were discovered in various sections of that countiy.

Search fcr the Blue Bucket Mine, It is known, however, that early in 1 66 1, David Uttlefield, Henry Griffin, William Stafford and C. W. Scriber, left Portland in search of the Blue Bucket Mine. They were guided by a man named Adams, who had led them to believe he knew the location of the mine. Their route was by way of The Dalles, the