Label Type
Cultural/Historical ContextLabel
“ Mother spent several seasons in Benicia but on her return the Indians were always there to welcome her. They would beg to hold the children and counted the age of each child by the moon. The Indians would bring her presents of beads, baskets, etc. and in return received meat, bread, and salt. Mother had but one white neighbor, a Quaker family.
During the fall and winter of 1861 the American River was very high but no one thought of danger. Father was trying to save his big derrick from being washed away. Cook was in the kitchen preparing dinner. About an hour later, after father had given up all hope ... he came to the house and told his wife to gather up what she needed most and the men would carry them up to the side of the mountain.
While mother was packing a few of her belongings, father declared we will have to leave as soon as we can. They managed to get under a large oak tree. It was raining in torrents. As they stood under the tree, they saw water raise the house from its foundation and float down river. The smoke was still coming out of the chimney. By 12:00 nothing was left. All that could be seen was a vast sheet of water ...
The next morning everything had changed. It was a grand and wonderful site to see large boulders, together with huge oak trees and all sorts of underbrush, lying across the river. A huge column of water would smash against the mass and be thrown many feet high like a geyser, but the debris could not stand the force of the water. At last, the column struck the mass and a roar like a cannon followed, it broke away and ran down the river ... As soon as possible they returned to Benicia and remained until April 1862, when they returned to the mines. Mother found two dinner plates belonging to her. They were found between two large boulders, uninjured. ”
Kathleen Cole on her mother, Mary Butler Cole
arrived in 1854 from Ireland