John Bushnell

John Bushnell (c. 1870-?) was a skilled miner who worked extensively in the Los Burros Mining District and on Plaskett Ridge.

QUEEN HATTIE MINES: Located the “Queen Hattie” claims on the south side of Plaskett Ridge around 1910. The mine proved productive, with ore brought from an incline shaft on a narrow sled to an arrastra operated by a blindfolded mule walking in circles.

GREEN GOLD CLAIM: Also owned the “Green Gold Claim” on Dogvine below the Queen Hattie. The discovery story is unique - his stepson Walter Dixon, while walking up a steep trail, slipped and grabbed a lilac bush which came out by its roots, exposing a fine prospect of greenish-colored ore. The Green Gold yielded considerable gold, much of it in nugget form.

WORK ON PLASKETT RIDGE: Worked the Ocean View, Lilac, and Blackberry claims alongside Billy Cruikshank and Jim Trickle. These were “able, honest hardworking men who knew every phase of mining as that had been their life work.”

TUNNEL DISPUTE: Discovered that Frank Gilbert was running a 300-foot tunnel toward his Queen Hattie claim, attempting to tap the rich ore. Bushnell called in the sheriff and stopped the encroachment.