The Miner Who Moved Mountains
In the year when gold fever burned hotter than the California sun, men flooded the Sierra foothills with shovels, pans, and impossible dreams. Tents sprang up overnight along riverbanks. Dust clung to boots, beards, and hope alike. Every creek bend shimmered with rumor. Among the thousands chasing fortune was a miner known only as Gideon Pike. Some said he arrived
