Clarence Berry
Encyclopedia
Clarence Jesse Berry known as C.J., was a businessman and successful gold
miner
in the Klondike Gold Rush
. He and his wife, Ethel Bush Berry, made a further fortune in Ester, Alaska
in 1902, and founded several oil companies over the years, which eventually became Berry Petroleum Company.
In Ester, Berry pioneered the use of the cold water point and the steam point, used to thaw frozen soil
and permafrost
in a safer manner for drift mining
than boring shafts using hot rocks or underground fires, which rendered the excavations and tunnels far more susceptible to collapse. The Berrys operated No. 8 Below Discovery Claim.
is named for Berry, who was a struggling fruit farmer in that San Joaquin Valley
town before he traveled to the Klondike. Clarence went to Alaska in 1894 in search of gold after his fruit farming venture failed in California. During his first year in Alaska, CJ learned from local natives on how to survive in the hostile environment. It was a very difficult year for CJ during the winter of 1894/95, as he got trapped deep into the Forty Mile Creek area and had only beans to eat for two months. The multitude of hardships working a mining operation solo were extensive. After a long day of hard labor, his cabin would have to be heated with chopped wood and water melted for drinking and cooking.
CJ returned to Selma in 1895 and married his childhood sweetheart Ethel Bush in 1896. The newlyweds and CJ's brother Fred returned to Alaska for the honeymoon. Ethyl was the first white woman to climb the Chilkoot Pass
into the interior of Alaska. The honeymooners settled in at the Forty Mile Creek outpost on the Yukon River
, and CJ got a job as the local bartender.
walked into the Forty Mile Creek Saloon and paid for his drink with gold nuggets. CJ felt Carmack's story was credible and left immediately with his brother Fred to stake claims. CJ and Fred, staying very close to shore in their small boat, pushed themselves upriver with "poles" slowly but surely against the mighty Yukon River current. It was hard work, but the Berry brothers made the 50 miles (80.5 km) journey upstream to the claims within a few days.
They both staked claims on Rabbit Creek, which quickly became known as Bonanza Creek
. They each explored their claims, digging to approximately 20 feet (6.1 m) deep through the permafrost
with some luck. These claims were sold, as they found no significant amount of gold. (A hundred years later, these stakes are still being mined, with the payzone being 60 feet (18.3 m) deep.)
CJ traded half of his claim on Bonanza Creek for a half claim on Little Rabbit Creek, which later became known as El Dorado Creek. They built a small cabin. Ethyl took care of heating the cabin and cleaning and cooking for the men. CJ and Fred gathered firewood and built large fires to melt the permafrost
, allowing them to dig 6 inches (15.2 cm) deeper each day. Fred and Clarence would chop a tree down uphill and "ride" it into camp. Clarence dug his own pit on the upper left side and Fred had a hole on the upper right of their half claim. (A claim was 500 feet (152.4 m) long, measured with a rope and later resurveyed.) Shoring the holes was not necessary, as the frozen ground was structurally sound. The gold became more abundant the deeper they went. When they got 30 feet (9.1 m) down, they were astounded. They had reached a payzone several feet thick of black sand containing gold, with every shovel full being worth hundreds of dollars (gold at $16.00 an ounce) Champion pans paid more than $500.00 per pan.
CJ and Fred were savvy businessmen; they managed to acquire two adjacent claims on the El Dorado before word got out about the riches beneath. CJ left a bucket of gold nuggets and a bottle of whiskey outside his cabin with a note saying "help yourself". Immediately, CJ sent for his former fruit farm workers. About a dozen of his workers arrived from Selma in 1897. They were trusted workers and well compensated at an ounce of gold daily. Clarence called his workers "Selmanites".
On July 17, 1897, CJ and Ethyl Berry and other successful miners arrived in Seattle aboard the SS Portland, the first ship to put into the port with tangible proof of the riches of the Klondike. One newspaperman from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
(with more interest in grabbing his readers' attention than actual fact finding) reported the Portland carried a "ton of gold"; as it turned out, it was two tons. CJ's story and picture was on the front page of the Seattle and San Francisco newspapers. A worldwide gold rush ensued. In later years, CJ and his three brothers (Fred, Henry and Frank) worked as a team, alternating six month shifts at the Northern mining camps.
CJ went on to acquiring prolific mining claims in Ester, Alaska
, near Fairbanks, and a mine in the Circle District called "Berry Camp"
which became known as Berry Holding Company. In 1926, CJ's oil producing properties in Mexico were expropriated. Berry Petroleum was formed, and eventually went public on the New York Stock Exchange
under the ticker symbol
BRY in 1985. Berry produced its 100 millionth barrel of oil in 1996.
Clarence's brother Henry later owned two professional baseball teams in the Pacific Coast League
, including the San Francisco Seals, for many years.
When CJ died in 1930, one of his pall bearers was Jay Jefferies, a former world heavyweight boxing champion.
In 1996, CJ Berry was inducted into the Mining Hall of Fame located in Leadville, Colorado.
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
miner
Miner
A miner is a person whose work or business is to extract ore or minerals from the earth. Mining is one of the most dangerous trades in the world. In some countries miners lack social guarantees and in case of injury may be left to cope without assistance....
in the Klondike Gold Rush
Klondike Gold Rush
The Klondike Gold Rush, also called the Yukon Gold Rush, the Alaska Gold Rush and the Last Great Gold Rush, was an attempt by an estimated 100,000 people to travel to the Klondike region the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1897 and 1899 in the hope of successfully prospecting for gold...
. He and his wife, Ethel Bush Berry, made a further fortune in Ester, Alaska
Ester, Alaska
Ester is a census-designated place in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. It is part of the 'Fairbanks, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area'. The population was 2,422 at the 2010 census...
in 1902, and founded several oil companies over the years, which eventually became Berry Petroleum Company.
In Ester, Berry pioneered the use of the cold water point and the steam point, used to thaw frozen soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
and permafrost
Permafrost
In geology, permafrost, cryotic soil or permafrost soil is soil at or below the freezing point of water for two or more years. Ice is not always present, as may be in the case of nonporous bedrock, but it frequently occurs and it may be in amounts exceeding the potential hydraulic saturation of...
in a safer manner for drift mining
Drift mining
Drift mining is either the mining of a placer deposit by underground methods, or the working of coal seams accessed by adits driven into the surface outcrop of the coal bed. Drift is a more general mining term, meaning a near-horizontal passageway in a mine, following the bed or vein of ore. A...
than boring shafts using hot rocks or underground fires, which rendered the excavations and tunnels far more susceptible to collapse. The Berrys operated No. 8 Below Discovery Claim.
Early life
Berry Park in Selma, CaliforniaSelma, California
Selma is a city in Fresno County, California. The population was 23,219 at the 2010 census, up from 19,240 at the 2000 census. Selma is located southeast of Fresno, at an elevation of 308 feet .-Geography:...
is named for Berry, who was a struggling fruit farmer in that San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
town before he traveled to the Klondike. Clarence went to Alaska in 1894 in search of gold after his fruit farming venture failed in California. During his first year in Alaska, CJ learned from local natives on how to survive in the hostile environment. It was a very difficult year for CJ during the winter of 1894/95, as he got trapped deep into the Forty Mile Creek area and had only beans to eat for two months. The multitude of hardships working a mining operation solo were extensive. After a long day of hard labor, his cabin would have to be heated with chopped wood and water melted for drinking and cooking.
CJ returned to Selma in 1895 and married his childhood sweetheart Ethel Bush in 1896. The newlyweds and CJ's brother Fred returned to Alaska for the honeymoon. Ethyl was the first white woman to climb the Chilkoot Pass
Chilkoot Pass
Chilkoot Pass is a high mountain pass through the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the U.S. state of Alaska and British Columbia, Canada. It is the highest point along the Chilkoot Trail that leads from Dyea, Alaska to Bennett Lake, British Columbia...
into the interior of Alaska. The honeymooners settled in at the Forty Mile Creek outpost on the Yukon River
Yukon River
The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. The source of the river is located in British Columbia, Canada. The next portion lies in, and gives its name to Yukon Territory. The lower half of the river lies in the U.S. state of Alaska. The river is long and empties into...
, and CJ got a job as the local bartender.
The Klondike Gold Rush
In the summer of 1896, George CarmackGeorge Carmack
George Washington Carmack was a Contra Costa County, California-born prospector in the Yukon. He was originally credited with the discovery of gold that set off the Klondike Gold Rush on August 16, 1896...
walked into the Forty Mile Creek Saloon and paid for his drink with gold nuggets. CJ felt Carmack's story was credible and left immediately with his brother Fred to stake claims. CJ and Fred, staying very close to shore in their small boat, pushed themselves upriver with "poles" slowly but surely against the mighty Yukon River current. It was hard work, but the Berry brothers made the 50 miles (80.5 km) journey upstream to the claims within a few days.
They both staked claims on Rabbit Creek, which quickly became known as Bonanza Creek
Bonanza Creek
Bonanza Creek is a watercourse in Yukon Territory, Canada. It runs for about from King Solomon's Dome to the Klondike River. In the last years of the 19th century and the early 20th century, Bonanza Creek was the center of the Klondike Gold Rush, which attracted tens of thousands of prospectors to...
. They each explored their claims, digging to approximately 20 feet (6.1 m) deep through the permafrost
Permafrost
In geology, permafrost, cryotic soil or permafrost soil is soil at or below the freezing point of water for two or more years. Ice is not always present, as may be in the case of nonporous bedrock, but it frequently occurs and it may be in amounts exceeding the potential hydraulic saturation of...
with some luck. These claims were sold, as they found no significant amount of gold. (A hundred years later, these stakes are still being mined, with the payzone being 60 feet (18.3 m) deep.)
CJ traded half of his claim on Bonanza Creek for a half claim on Little Rabbit Creek, which later became known as El Dorado Creek. They built a small cabin. Ethyl took care of heating the cabin and cleaning and cooking for the men. CJ and Fred gathered firewood and built large fires to melt the permafrost
Permafrost
In geology, permafrost, cryotic soil or permafrost soil is soil at or below the freezing point of water for two or more years. Ice is not always present, as may be in the case of nonporous bedrock, but it frequently occurs and it may be in amounts exceeding the potential hydraulic saturation of...
, allowing them to dig 6 inches (15.2 cm) deeper each day. Fred and Clarence would chop a tree down uphill and "ride" it into camp. Clarence dug his own pit on the upper left side and Fred had a hole on the upper right of their half claim. (A claim was 500 feet (152.4 m) long, measured with a rope and later resurveyed.) Shoring the holes was not necessary, as the frozen ground was structurally sound. The gold became more abundant the deeper they went. When they got 30 feet (9.1 m) down, they were astounded. They had reached a payzone several feet thick of black sand containing gold, with every shovel full being worth hundreds of dollars (gold at $16.00 an ounce) Champion pans paid more than $500.00 per pan.
CJ and Fred were savvy businessmen; they managed to acquire two adjacent claims on the El Dorado before word got out about the riches beneath. CJ left a bucket of gold nuggets and a bottle of whiskey outside his cabin with a note saying "help yourself". Immediately, CJ sent for his former fruit farm workers. About a dozen of his workers arrived from Selma in 1897. They were trusted workers and well compensated at an ounce of gold daily. Clarence called his workers "Selmanites".
On July 17, 1897, CJ and Ethyl Berry and other successful miners arrived in Seattle aboard the SS Portland, the first ship to put into the port with tangible proof of the riches of the Klondike. One newspaperman from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is an online newspaper and former print newspaper covering Seattle, Washington, United States, and the surrounding metropolitan area...
(with more interest in grabbing his readers' attention than actual fact finding) reported the Portland carried a "ton of gold"; as it turned out, it was two tons. CJ's story and picture was on the front page of the Seattle and San Francisco newspapers. A worldwide gold rush ensued. In later years, CJ and his three brothers (Fred, Henry and Frank) worked as a team, alternating six month shifts at the Northern mining camps.
CJ went on to acquiring prolific mining claims in Ester, Alaska
Ester, Alaska
Ester is a census-designated place in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. It is part of the 'Fairbanks, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area'. The population was 2,422 at the 2010 census...
, near Fairbanks, and a mine in the Circle District called "Berry Camp"
Oil and later life
In 1909, CJ purchased several sections of land in Maricopa near Taft, CaliforniaTaft, California
Taft is a city in the foothills at the extreme southwestern edge of the San Joaquin Valley, in Kern County, California. Taft is located west-southwest of Bakersfield, at an elevation of 955 feet . The population was 9,327 at the 2010 census...
which became known as Berry Holding Company. In 1926, CJ's oil producing properties in Mexico were expropriated. Berry Petroleum was formed, and eventually went public on the New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
under the ticker symbol
Ticker symbol
A stock symbol or ticker symbol is a short abbreviation used to uniquely identify publicly traded shares of a particular stock on a particular stock market. A stock symbol may consist of letters, numbers or a combination of both. "Ticker symbol" refers to the symbols that were printed on the ticker...
BRY in 1985. Berry produced its 100 millionth barrel of oil in 1996.
Clarence's brother Henry later owned two professional baseball teams in the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
, including the San Francisco Seals, for many years.
When CJ died in 1930, one of his pall bearers was Jay Jefferies, a former world heavyweight boxing champion.
In 1996, CJ Berry was inducted into the Mining Hall of Fame located in Leadville, Colorado.