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The very interesting history of the Notorious Gassaway Gang in NorCal

Lake clementine is a man-made lake so imagine the lake as not there but that is where this story takes place.

The year is 1860, the gold rush has come and is technically over but the wild west is still alive and well.

Melinda Gassaway is a wife and a mother of at least 3 kids. She begins a climb into and around a big limestone rock that has caverns today we know as robbers’ roost. Melinda now in position pulls out a small hand mirror and she sits there watching for a stagecoach to come down the road below.

down below but in view of Melinda is her husband Upton Gassaway and his sons. they are lying in wait for her signal.

finally, a stagecoach begins down the road. the coach has a driver and 2 passengers plus the treasure box transporting 1,852 dollars

Melinda shines back and forth in the mirror and her husband begins what they have done many times before.

highway robbery.

Upton leads the way jumping right in front of the stage alongside one of his sons making it stop and the horses freak out.

His other son walks down the side of the coach and cocks a pistol and points it at the driver's head.

Mr. Wycoff the drover then goes to the back and opens the box and hands them the money.

another successful robbery for the Gassaway gang.

or so they thought…

We don’t know how many robberies the Gassaways made or why they started in the first place.

Mr. Gassaway was 52 at the time, his wife 45, and the sons 22, 19 and 14

The Gassaways were from Kentucky. He was a colonel probably from the Mexican-American war. He was a simple farmer then after a robbery or two, a hotel owner up in Clipper Gap which is north of Auburn.

After this latest robbery though, they were arrested, tried and although Melinda got off on 100 dollar fine for accessory, her sons and her husband were sent to San Quentin for 10 years. When they got out they went into gold mining.

Though a short story, this is why lime rock as it was once called. is known to the locals of NorCal as Robbers Roost. A place where the Gassaway gang robbed an unknown amount of people.

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