Collection	Hawley, Brooks
Description	James Diffin, aka '49 Jimmie. His cabin on Olive Creek near Robinsonville. (Jimmie's photo is the second photo attached to this record.) Brooks Hawley note: "He was said to take out an average of $80,000 a year during the short placer season. He was particular to go to California to have a good time spending all of it each winter. He would even charter a boat at Portland. He was in a rush to get his money spent because he was uneasy that gold would become so plentiful it would lose its purchasing power. He died in the poor house." James W. Tabor in "Granite and Gold," p. 74, wrote: "James Diffin ('49 Jimmie as he was known by old timers) mined in olden days around Robinsonville and was one of the most off characters of the mines. He lived alone most of the time in his last days on earth. An old rooster was his only companion and shared the meals with '49. I saw the rooster many times perched on the edge of the bean pot helping himself. Old '49 Jimmie was declared one of the dirtiest men living; the front of his shirt was a mass of tabacco juice, which I don't think was ever washed off. He died at the (Grant?) County poor farm many years ago."
Object ID	1992.1.440
Place	Greenhorn District

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Last modified on: December 09, 2017