Monday, May 13, 1799
- Cabarrus County, North Carolina -
Learn & Lather!
In 1799, a twelve-year-old boy named Conrad Reed found a large yellow rock while fishing in a creek on his family’s farm in Cabarrus County, North Carolina. The so-called “rock” weighed seventeen pounds and was used as a door stop until it was identified as gold. Conrad’s discovery sparked the first gold rush in the United States.
We arrived at a fork in the road...
... and I was told to follow the creek to Reed’s farm. I told the driver I would enjoy the walk, thanked him, and went on my way. This worked to my advantage as I had not yet devised a pretense for visiting Mr. Reed. As I sat on the bank and collected the scent, I was overwhelmed by the desire to pan. Moral ethics and time constraints, however, prevented me from doing so.
Key (borrowed) – Marriage bond, May 13, 1799.
Arrival – Mid-afternoon. I disguised Mr. Franklin in a grove of trees and began walking towards a church that stood in the clearing. Several wagons were outside and I could hear singing inside. About a half hour later, a handful of people exited the church and I approached a man to see if he could point me in the general direction of John Reed’s farm. He showed me the way and said it was too far to walk. He then offered to take me there and I accepted without hesitation.
Scent/s – Late afternoon/evening. While there was little to no chance of me arriving on the exact date that Conrad Reed found a gold nugget in Little Meadow Creek, I was satisfied to simply capture the scent of the place. Wildflowers were abundant on the banks of Little Meadow Creek and added their fragrance to the earthy smells of moss and damp soil. It was quite nice to say the least. The smell of tobacco was also noticeable in this area, but I could not determine where it came from. [ Custom-coated fabric (SX5) collected the scent in 11 minutes, 28 seconds (conditions: cool, dry, and pleasant). ]
Image from Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, August 1857 -https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924080769569&seq=299&q1=Reed