Description
Mainly relating to mining property in El Dorado Co., Calif.; some pertaining to his law practice.
Papers of John S. Dunham (containing letters and accounts of A.K. Saxton, Volcanoville, El Dorado Co., 1856-1858) included.
Background
Gideon Judd Carpenter arrived in California in 1850 as a goldseeker. He engaged in mining operations in the Big Bar area of
the Middle Fork of the American River and is credited with one of the most important ditching operations in the area. By 1860,
however, he had devoted himself almost solely to his law practice and to politics. He became County Clerk and District Attorney
for El Dorado Co. and served in the legislature as both Assemblyman and Senator. In 1889 he and George E. Williams acquired
the Placerville Mountain Democrat and two years later he became sole owner. The last years of his life were greatly saddened by the untimely death in 1902,
of his son, Prentiss, a promising lawyer and judge.
Extent
Number of containers: 1 portfolio (31 folders, 113 pieces)
Restrictions
Copyright has not been assigned to The Bancroft Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts
must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Bancroft
Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which
must also be obtained by the reader.
Availability
Collection is open for research.