Sigmund Heilner writes of weather, mining claims, a trial in a nearby town, involvement in Masonic lodge, playing billiards, Christmas celebration, and Sigmund composes a revealing poem of loneliness. Expresses loneliness for family and home. Sigmund composes a poem for sister, Sophie, walks to mines, Webb affair, horseback to Waldo, Seligmann's departure, dinner with Chinese Chang, sketches, plays billiards, freezing weather, plays Biquette, reads magazines, books. Sigmund makes drawings, plays whist, letter received from Seligmann, visits a lady, Miss Magoon, and other acquaintances, geographical work, goes to Kirbyville to see friends, attends trial of Dan Kinney, plays game of "Table Moving" with Miss Magoon in Kirbyville, serves as a witness in trial of Frank Varnell (murderer) who bribed the jury for his freedom, goes to Sailor's Diggings with friend, Henry Friedman, snow hard on miners. Henry Friedman proposes a partnership with Sigmund, prays for direction, time moves slowly, ill with cold, daily games of billiard or chess, horseback to Waldo then Kirbyville, suffers with a swollen face, receives letter from Seligmann, travels through six to seven feet of snow to collect money, stays with a friend, next day arrives home barefoot, agrees to go into partnership with Henry Friedman in Crescent City, read the London Illustrated News. Sigmund contends with continual snow and rain, calls on Miss Magoon in Kirbyville, horseback to Waldo on business, returns to Browntown, reads the New Yorker Staats Zeitung, prepares to go to Crescent City, Attends Browntown theater, leaves next day for Crescent City, affected by snow and fresh air he becomes snow blind for a short time, arrives in Crescent City and meets Seligmann who has returned from Germany, stays in the Oriental hotel then afterward with Henry Friedman, first shipment of copper iron arrives from the mines. Sigmund plays billiards and sings with Madame Goldman, steamship "Cortez" arrives with some goods for his new business, "Cortez" has to depart without leaving all its cargo because of storms, purchases a few goods to sell, goes fishing, goes over his inventory of goods, receives more "goods," plays whist and billiards in the evenings, musical entertainment with Madame Goldman, no letters from home, Seligmann sells his claim in the copper claim for $75.00. Fire destroys buildings in Crescent City-no water to put out fire, sketches fire, buys $350 in Union Copper claim, dances all night at a ball, homesick, unhappy, discouraging day. Tons of goods arrive on Steamer "Columbia" from San Francisco, watched an Indian war dance-danced after an Indian has been killed, cuts flowers in the forest, reads Harper's Magazine, longs for news from home, terrible winds, receives letter from Seligmann that he will leave for Germany in a few weeks, receives a "lot of hides" from the interior, sketched, saddler shop catches fire. Seligmann takes steamer "Pacific" to San Francisco on his way home to Germany, parting difficult, prays for Almighty to protect his brother, cannon fire marks 4th of July celebration, goes blackberrying, meets Miss Wells of Eureka, receives a letter from Seligmann and 25 tons of goods, sends goods to the interior, attends church, weather hot, visits several ladies, receives "a lot of hides" 50 tons of goods from steamship Columbia. Diary transcript. More goods received, another fire- this time contained, sketched a horse, receives "a lot of hides from the interior," receives some owed payments, Democratic Convention held, dispatched goods, receives "lots of oats," hopes to receive gold from quartz diggings on Althouse creek, receives 90 tons of goods. Sent "several teams" of goods to the interior, goes to horseback races, spends days receiving and forwarding goods, desires to leave and be among friends and relative-home, worries about the coming winter weather, agony in his heart "does not quit." Sigmund Heilner continually receives merchandize to sell and send out to interior, buys a horse, gave a "nice little social party," sore on his finger is infected, again homesick, tends Naucke's store while he is away. On the 6th of November, 1860, Sigmund reports, "Fair day. Great election day for President. Took little interest in political matters in general." Monday, the 19th Sigmund is "roused from slumber by the roaring of a cannon. It was fired on account of the Presidential election of the Republican candidate, A. Lincoln." Tues., the 20th he writes, "The Republicans gave the steamer the honor of firing 31 minutes of gunshots At dusk fireworks were displayed from the steamship Columbia." Sigmund's horse is lost, later found 21 miles away. Sigmund participated in a horse race-lost, the winter is monotonous, and dull Christmas day. Sigmund attends parties, there are rough and heavy seas which cut off all communication, steamships cannot land and mountains are shut off because of heavy snow, determines never to play cards again, some mail gets through-but not to Sigmund, finally receives letters, Seligmann has arrived in Germany. Sigmund leaves for San Francisco, heavy swells make him seasick, goes to Eureka, CA, many sawmills and lumber businesses there, returns to San Francisco, settles all debts and goes into money lending business, attends Maguire's Opera House, San Francisco Verein, Mercantile Library, Melodeon and Gilbert Athenian, still lonesome, returns to Crescent City during "the heaviest thunder shower I ever saw in my life." Seligmann has traveled back to Germany and returned to California, great disagreeable and unhappy hours occurred in Germany, felt compelled to return, now looks to the future with hope, good courage, energy, enjoys "good mountain air," good health and sees a brilliantly beautiful comet taking its course from east to northwest. (Great Comet of 1861). Closes with a report of Jesse Randal's house fire. Dated approximately 1858 to 1861.