Mining History

Many a long winter's night was spent composing verse on the walls of a lonely miner's cabin or bunkhouse. One of the most common poems found was the Miner's Ten Commandments. Following is one of the most typical forms.

The ragged old man spoke these words and said unto me, I am a miner who wandereth from the East to sojourn in a strange land and saw the elephant. And behold! I saw him, and I bear witness that his whole body passed before me, and I followed him until he stopped before a rough cabin, and with his trunk extended he pointed to a printed shingle tacked to the cabin, as though to say, read the Miner's Ten Commandments!

Thou shalt have no other claim but one.

Thou shalt not take unto thyself any false claims, nor shalt thou jump one.

Thou shalt not go prospecting again before thy claim gives out nor shalt thou take thy hard-earned dust to the gaming tables in vain for the more thou shalt put down, the less thou will take up.

Thou shalt dig or pick only six days for on the seventh thou shalt washeth thy dirty clothes and darneth thy socks and choppeth the whole weeks wood.

Thou shalt not think more of the gold than thy father's blessings or thy mother's love.

Thou shalt not kill thy body by working in the rain nor by getting stewed or three sheets to the wind from drinking down whiskey punches, rum toddies or brandy slings.

Thou shalt not grow discouraged nor go home before thou strikes it rich lest in going home thou will work for fifty cents a day while thou might strike lead and make fifty dollars a day by staying.

Thou shalt not steal a pick or shovel nor take thy neighbor's tools nor borrow those he cannot spare and return them broken nor remove his stakes to enlarge thy own claim.

Thou shalt not tell false tales about thy diggings in the hills nor salt thy claim to deceive thy neighbor.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife nor trifle with the affections of his daughter but if thou truly love and covet each other, thou shalt pop the question like a man.