Banking on a Christmas Gamble

© Craig & Franklin MacDonald

(Memories die hard in the Sierra. My grandfather, who was a miner and later worked as an engineer for Pelton Water Wheel Company in the Mother Lode, told us this story. He thought it happened near Ragged Breeches Bar on the Stanislaus River in the early 1850s. --Craig)

Two brothers (whose names have been long forgotten) labored feverishly in the stream --week after week-- with little luck. Frustrated and nearly broke, they decided to gamble on a new career.

Using cut tree stumps as card tables, these enterprising chaps borrowed a tent and set up a crude gambling parlor by the riverbank.

Word spread and soon there were nightly gatherings of miners using their hard-earned nuggets and gold dust to play poker & faro. It wasn't long until the crowd outgrew the tent.

A building was erected, tables replaced stumps, and card dealers, bartenders & cooks were hired.

The gaming "palace" throbbed all night, punctuated by frequent shouts of hope and despair.

With growing prosperity, the loyal sons conscientiously wrote their mom and pop about the incredible success--well, sort of. They hedged a tad, not mentioning their gambling enterprise. Instead, they reported a thriving banking business.

Things went well until their parents decided to visit them for Christmas. At first, the brothers panicked but then they got an idea--Why not turn the gambling hall into a bank?

The boys and their friends pitched in and made a bank sign, counter and some teller-type windows. They even practiced making deposits and withdrawals.

On Dec. 24, the parents arrived by stage and bought the charade "hook, line and sinker." They had a delightful Christmas with their "banker" sons and left soon after.

(According to grandpa, the story didn't end there. Instead of going back to gaming, the boys apparently decided to become real bankers and really help miners borrow money to do things like show parents a good time during the holidays.)