Page 32 - January 2021 Voices
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GLEANINGS FROM THE GROVE
Are You the Key?
Paul Fanning, DTM
“There’s gold in them thar hills” was the cry oft doubled as the local town brass band. Gold was
heard during the 1849 Gold Rush in California. found in the hilly country, on the river.
Billions of dollars of gold nuggets, flakes, and The boom was on. It was estimated that from
dust were panned from the rivers or mined from Dutch Flat alone millions of dollars of
the quartz. Many a 49er made his fortune just as gold was found, one of the richest
many “flatlanders” and “city folk” went bust. The gold mining areas of the
“Boom or Bust” in Northern California caused Gold Rush era. And that
the sleepy frontier towns of Sacramento and brought new business into
San Francisco to blossom and expand seemingly the town—bankers and
overnight. express companies.
Charles Dorenbach, a German immigrant, At first, men on horseback
and his brother came to California seeking their would visit the various mining
fortune. They were prospecting along the Bear camps and purchase the nuggets, flakes, and dust
River and found “color” (gold dust and flakes) from the miners for one price, then sell it in San
in their metal pans. It was said that Charlie Francisco or Sacramento for a premium. Dutch
wondered where the source of this eagerly Flat, being now a larger “city” of thousands found
sought-after metallic element was but he never that two banks began plying their trade, Hall &
recorded in history the reason he chose this Allen, representing at first their “chain” of banks
section of land for his home. He applied for the (four) from Sacramento and the Cornish gold
rights to the minerals and of course the land. buyers who settled down. William and Phillip
Soon it was known as “Dutch Charlies’ Flat”, a Nicholls founded the Bank of W. & P. Nicholls
joke in one sense as he was from Germany, not across the street from Halls & Allen on Main
Holland, and in reality, there had always been Street. Plenty of business allowed both banks
two directions in the area—up or down with no to prosper in those early years. They allied with
flatland in sight. By 1851 the town, now called Wells Fargo and Company’s Express to transport
Dutch Flat, boasted a population of several the gold ore to the train depot, and Wells Fargo
thousand outside of San Francisco. Dutch Flat and Company’s Bank to hold their accounts.
had at one time 22 saloons and bars, three Fast forward to about 1969-70. Being the only
breweries, the usual variety of fraternal halls, male teenager in the township of Dutch Flat,
an opera house, a two-story four-room school, population of 125, I began to work for the local
several churches, and a fire department who antique store which was housed in the former
32 ONE COMMUNITY
