Miner's Cabin sketches drawn by George Mathis in Coloma, California

Good morning. Tina here. It is a beautiful day, we are in between rain storms. That is a good thing to report since we are experiencing a very strong drought. I am thinking about going down to Coloma and taking some pictures.

This little cabin below, in Coloma, once housed James Marshall, credited for discovering gold in California.

When I worked at the Sierra Nevada House III in Coloma in the early seventies, one of the tourists' favorite stops was at the Friday House, where George Mathis had his studio. He sold watercolors, prints, cards, etc. of his art work, and much of what he depicted was in the Coloma area.

If you were lucky, and he was in the right mood, he might draw for you a little sketch of a cabin, and present it to you as a gift. No bigger than about 3 by 4 inches or so. He would always sign, and sometimes date them.

I have two sketches, the one below which is on a piece of paper which opens up like a small card, and the sketch that I got from him in the very early seventies, which is the last photo shown. I am irritated with my younger self because I folded it in the middle, so it now has a crease.

Below is the sketch I received from George and promptly folded! The crease is visible at the top middle.

I wonder how many times he drew his little cabin. And how many survived.

Enjoy your day!