[meteorite-list] Largest single Pallasite?

[Robert Warren]

Good morning,

What is quite a story.  The half truths, not presenting the whole story, not 
presenting all of the facts, as Plotkin has done?  Or are you referring to 
the researchI have done for over ten years, in trying to fathom out the 
facts, and the truth about what happened?  I have combed many libraries, 
from Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, Missouri, Texas, California, 
Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and many others, seeking anything that would 
pertain to Port Orford, or the meteorite,or the individuals involved.  I 
have been to Oregon several times, checking into its historical sites, and 
libraries.  Sure I started with Plotkins book, but when I read it, I found 
to many questions in it that he did not answer.  There are to many questions 
that he never addressed in his book.  He advocates the theory that Evans 
created a hoax based on Evans suppossedly owing money for back taxes in 
Oregon.  But then he fails to mention anything about the economic crisis 
going on world wide at the same time.  That crisis would help explain any 
economic problems Evans would have had, because during such crisis, the 
price of everything goes up, not down.  Since in the 1850's, because of the 
Oregon gold rush, which is documented in many books about Oregon, but not 
once is it mentioned in Plotkins book, but because of that gold rush, so 
much of what Oregonians used to grow on their farms, was not being grown 
anymore.  During the California gold rush of 1849, many Oregonians left 
Oregon and headed south to California to search for their future, but many 
failed to find it, so they moved back to Oregon.  But they had sold their 
land when they left to go to California.  So many farms were idle during the 
1850's.  So much of the land around Port Orford, was unreachable except on 
trails originally made by the indians possibly hundreds of years before, so 
it was not easy getting around.  In fact the primary way of getting to Port 
Orford was by steam packet boats that sailed between Portland, and san 
Francicsco.  In fact the gentleman who started Port Orford in 1851, 
Tichenor, owned such a boat and used it to take the first settlers there.  
None of this is mentioned in Plotkin.  None of Coarse Gold Johnson and his 
career is mentioned in Plotkin.  That is strange too, because, Plotkin even 
though he says the Evans Journal is not in his handwriting, (It is in his 
wifes handwriting, because Evans had hurt his arm sometime around 1858-1859, 
and was unable to write until he learned to use his other arm and hand), but 
then Plotkins uses the information out of the journal as though it is 
gospel.  But when you read the journal, you find that Evans in one entry 
clearly visits Johnson's camp on the creek.  According to the history books, 
and books about the Origin of Place Names in Oregon,  by 1856, Johnson's 
creek and Mountain was already known by those names. So why would anyone 
look on Johnson's mountain for the meteorite since Evans does not mention it 
in the journal, but he does mention visiting with Johnson and other miners 
at the Johnson camp which was on Johnson's creek which is at the base of 
Johnson's mountain?  Plotkin does not mention any of this, nor does he 
mention any of the hsitory of Johnson's mountain, all information which is 
clearly available in the history books about Oregon, Coos and Curry 
Counties, which is where Port Orford is located.  In the National Archives 
recod group for John Evans, is a letter where Evans himself after he is able 
to start writing again, explains in the letter how he had hurt his arm and 
could not write for awhile, so his wife Sarah Evans, was doing all of the 
correspondance, which would explain why the journal is in her hand and not 
Evans.  Yet even though this is in the national archives, Plotkin does not 
mention this.  Why????  In one of those letter from John Evans, he explains, 
that anyone could buy the meteorite real cheaply from the Indian chief, Old 
John, because it was on his land.  this is the only place the Evans possibly 
makeds a mistake.  Old Chief John, had surrendered along with all of his 
tribe, sometime around August - september 1856, after the Rogue River War 
was over.  So in 1858 - 1859, when Plotkin says Evans went back to Oregon, 
and then concocted the hoax, Old Chief John would not have been the owner of 
the land, because by then he had been in an Indian Reservation over a 
hundred miles away north of  Port Orford, and everyone around that area of 
the country would have known that.  So why did Evans mention it then.  the 
only conclusion, is that Evans did not visit Port Orford after July of 1856, 
and so would not have known about the surrender.  Also Evans clearly states 
in either that letter or another one, that the Bald mountain could be seen 
from Port Orford.  I am sorry to tell everyone this, but Johnson's mountian 
is not visible from Port Orford, nor is Brays Mountain, nor Iron Mountain.  
There is just too much brush and forest, plus part of Port Orford itself is 
on a higher terrain on the coast, with a colection of mountains between the 
coast and Johnson's mountain.  So Johnson's mountain does not, nor has it 
ever fit the description by Evans.

This is food for thought for anyone who would like to actually read the 
literature, and compare it to Plotkin's book.  What he has to say, simply is 
not supportable by the history, the facts, teh archival records.  There are 
too many unanswered questions left undiscussed in his book.  And what he 
does discuss, does not add up.

Bob Warren

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