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The Wagon Train Indian Incident
A man on the wagon train shot an Indian woman. The Indians demanded a life for a life — and got one.
Stories
True stories of the Plasketts and their neighbors — bears and gold, shipwrecks and weddings — drawn from letters, newspapers, and family memory.
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Sarah Plaskett - Banker for the Miners
Miners who trusted no one trusted Sarah Plaskett, who kept their gold under her roof and fed them at her table.
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The Literary Club and Band of Pacific Valley
A brass band, a literary club, and a rare kind of fellowship — culture flourished in a valley days from anywhere.
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Ed Plaskett the Daredevil Horseman
Ed Plaskett rode at a gallop along cliff edges that made grown men dismount and walk.
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Old Cap - The Eccentric Engineer
Orval Olmstead — 'Old Cap' to the children — brought the ways of a sailing ship to a cabin on Mill Creek.
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1791 Ohio River Indian Attack
On the Ohio River in 1791, the flatboat carrying William Plaskett's family came under attack.
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William Plaskett and Son Joseph Drown on Hunting Trip
William Plaskett Jr. and his son Joseph set out on a hunting trip in 1796. Neither came home.
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Pigeon Roost Massacre Letter
Days after the Pigeon Roost Massacre of 1812, William Plaskett wrote down what the survivors saw.
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Carl Sans Drowns in Well
Carl Sans was being hauled up from the bottom of a well when the rope failed him.
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Olive Plaskett Dies During Pregnancy
Olive Sans married at fifteen, dark-eyed and sun-browned from the coast — and died carrying her child.
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The Sans Divorce Scandal
A courtroom divorce was almost unheard of. Ed Sans got one, then left for Reno to start over.
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The Earthquake Girl
She picked her own birthday: the day San Francisco shook to pieces in 1906.