This information was supplied by Kathy Marcinek, Sept. 1995.
William Gay was Isaac's partner and son-in-law.  William always spoke of Isaac Lambing as "Lambing".  William Gay married Isaac's daughter, Alta.  Isaac also had three sons, Ira, Henry and Frank.

Wm and Alta Gay

        I was setting in the back room of the Kennedy saloon, Clark and he (Isaac) were talking and I told him there was a man that wanted to work.  He hired me to work nights, there was a vacant log cabin, fireplace, two bunks, I moved in.  Mrs. Clark gave me some dishes, pots, pans and a dutch oven about the size of a large dish pan, she had no use for it.  I baked bread in it.  I worked for Clark for two seasons each up to the month of May when the water gave out.  I worked on a hay press during summers.  Bailing season ended about October.  I returned to Irish Hill, back to my cabin.  I went in partners with Martin and Jim Finnerty and fitted up a mine.  Worked one winter, worked hay press following summer and returned to my cabin.  A man and son had a mining claim they talked of leaving.  I bought their sluices and good will, their pipe and grant belonging to the company.  I took Barney Connely in as partner (not in cabin), he lived with Pat Hardy.  I worked on grain thresher during summer.  Returned, Barney and I fitted up the claim.  I bought set sluices, laid pipe already for first rain.  We mined that winter.
         Eugene Dooley and I bought two hay presses one from Bony Carpenter, the other from Cook.  Cook retired from hay bailing, bought a farm in Ione valley.  Hay press only an upright box, no machinery, horses pulled a rope that raised a follower.  They were not expensive.  We bought two horses from Purdy, Ione valley farmer, paid 300 dollars for them.  Dooley used one press, I the other.  Bony Carpenter and his team worked for me.  Each press has four men, one drives team, two on press, one on stack, each receives 25 cents per ton bailed.  We worked the presses that summer and sold them when the bailing season was over to Bony and Joe Carpenter.  Took horses to Sacramento and sold them for 400 dollars.  Dooley was a step-son to Clark and worked for him when I did.  Well I got back to my cabin and moved the sluices to another place.  I went to work on the same grain thresher that I worked before.  Jake Durst worked on same thresher that I did.  He was a miner, we talked mining and he told me his experiences in that line in Centennial, Wyoming.  He and Mr. Lambing (Isaac) located a mine there.  They prospected it thoroughly and found it high grade ore.  Lambing went to Central City, Colo., bought a quartz mine from Hendrie and Bolthoff of Denver, an abandoned mine.  Moved it to Centennial.  Previous to Mr. Lambing's mining at Centennial he came from Idaho City to Laramie, and started a wood yard there, this was where Lambing and Jake Durst became acquainted.  Durst knew of the prospect he found in Centennial as it is about 100 miles south of Laramie.  They installed the mill and other fixtures ready for work, cleaned up every week with large returns.  Durst told me that one clean-up was $3000.  Paid good, down 400 feet, the vein at that level ended there on a smooth bottom, no sign of going further.  They thought it was a slip, they run cross cuts, everything they could think of trying to find the lost vein, no results.  When the mine was paying good Lambing built a large log house one mile from Centennial, had his family, Alta, three boys and grandmother moved there from Idaho City, they lived in the new house.

        Durst said that when the end came they had taken $8000 from the mine.  They went to California, Caliveras county and bought a mine (North Star) near a sheep ranch.  It was about like the one at Centennial, ore near the surface.  Had specimen ore, sold some to jewelers, shipped some in sack to Selby smelter.  It played out same as at Centennial.  Now broke.  At one time they were offered $8000 for it, but would not take it.

         Durst had some trouble with a merchant, something connected with the mine.  Durst hit him in the face and knocked him down.  Durst was afraid he would be arrested, flew the coop and went to work on a thresher.  He told me his name, went under another name and for me to keep mum.  As we talked mining I told him I had a placer mine on Irish Hill that I worked during water season.  He became very much interested, wished to know if anything he could get hold of.  I told him I had a partner Barney Connely, he might buy his interest.  I told him all the interest Barney had was the sluices, half was mine.  I thought twenty dollars might buy his interest.  Barney agreed to take the twenty.  Durst went to Ione and brought mattress, comforts and went in cabin with me.  We worked fitting up the mine, laid the pipe from distribution tank, set sluices, cleared brush off surface.  This was in October, we had nothing further to do until fall rains to bring water in our ditch.  When the North Star mine gave out Lambing and Ira (Isaac's son) went to work on thresher in San Joaquin valley.  When the threshing season was over they returned to the mine.  Durst wrote Lambing where he was and that he went in partnership with Gay placer mining on Irish Hill four miles from Ione.  He thought there was other openings to fit up a claim.  Lambing came over, a forty mile walk.  We went and looked the mining field over and found all of the mines fitted up.  I showed Lambing a place that could be fitted up without much work.  He went to Ione and hired Fawsett's team and wagon to go to North Star mine and bring the house to Irish Hill.  The house was of only a plain boards battens.  They cut the roof in sections, took down the sides and floor and loaded it on the wagon.  He selected a place just off the mining ground near a water spring.  Moved the family at the same time, three boys, Alta and grandmother, they all lived with Pat Hardy.  Durst and I helped to build the house and it did not take long.

         Lambing did not have a dollar, owed Fawsett forty dollars, owed Pat Hardy for board, but stood them off with promises.  To help him I went to Ione and introduced him to Newman who owned the grocery and dry goods store.  I told him that he was fitting up a mine on Irish Hill and would need a little credit.  My credit was good with Newman.  Lambing made out a bill for groceries and lumber for sluices and Newman delivered it.  Lambing moved family from Hardy.  Frank, the youngest boy, went prospecting with pan in different places, and found one which showed good pannage.  I took a stroll one day and found Lambing fitting up where Frank found good pannage.  "Lambing why didn't you fit up the place I showed you?  This prospect looks good here.  Well you won't make anything here."  He worked, it did not pay.  Water came.  Durst and I worked our claim same time Lambing was.  Water season over, Lambing moved to another place.  Took time to fit it up.  Durst and I cleaned our bedrock, filled sluices with dirt to keep them from drying out and cut more brush.  After this we just loafed and cruised over the hill up to Plymouth and Drytown.  Water came early the following winter.  Durst and I, also Lambing, started working.  We mined about two months.  We were short of pipe and so was Lambing.  Durst and I cleaned up the sluices and consolidated with Lambing.  Durst and I on one shift and Ira and Henry on other shift.  Lambing working only day time.  In about two months Durst took typhus fever and died.  We cleaned up to get his share.  Came to $40.00 and mine the same.  With what Durst had in his pocket we paid funeral expenses, he was buried in Ione cemetery.  After funeral Lambing started to work again.  I quit and gave him my share at end of season.  Lambing mined the narrow gulch about twenty feet wide, three feet deep, parallel with Irish Hill road emptying in Dry Creek.  This was under McDonald ditch.  Took water from Dry Creek, continuous water supply.  Paid for use of water and worked out all the gulch.  Next move he made was further down the ditch.  The ground he worked was at the foot of the slope (this is where Frank and Aunt Kate lived, not at this time but years later when Irene came out.)  This was a narrow strip that extended the full length of the hill.  Lambing and boys worked all that summer.  They made 90 dollars per day.  This was the first real money maker. He was able to pay all of his back bills.  All along the foot of the hill and connecting with level creek bottom showed six dollars per yard.  He worked at water edge and prospected at different places with same value.  After he finished working strip of ground on the upper end he excavated a pit, using a derrick (pole and boom) to hoist out dirt.  Went to bedrock depth, 30 feet, no pay dirt, only black soil, was worked out in earlier days.  They worked a long time, Ira and Henry in the pit, Lambing done the hoisting, Frank swinging the boom, dumped the bucket.  They excavated a large pit.

         They worked so long in this pit it run them short of money.  The six dollar prospect was taken on surface and would increase in bedrock and extended out under the creek bottom.  He spotted a place where he would excavate a pit, but could not go further without help.  He was in Ione, met Kennedy and told him what a good prospect he had found and would give someone a third interest if they would build a 60 foot china pump and put pit to bedrock.  Kennedy said carpentering was my trade before I got hurt, I could build the pump with help.  Called doctor in and talked it over.  What you say doctor?  They agreed to take it.  Verbal agreement among miners is binding law.  Kennedy built the pump.  Election was coming on, U.S. Senator, state officers to be elected and campaign oratory.  Kennedy said he would have to wait until election was over before he could finish the contract, as his saloon for the next two months would bring in big revenue.  I had remained around Ione during this time and met Kennedy.  He knew I was acquainted with Lambing and asked me what I thought of him.  I said he found good prospect and you took a third interest to build pump and sink pit to bedrock.  You will be at a great expense opening up pit to bedrock.  I know it, I was too hasty.  If I had known what I know now I would not have taken it on.  To make a long story short he wanted to know if I thought enough of the mine to take over his and the doctor's interest.  How much will you take?  $200 cash.  I will take it on same basis you took it, from my pay dirt if any, if not you lose, so do I.  I bought Kennedy out in 1881, he and the doctor agreeing.  I saw Lambing and told him that I had made a bargain with Kennedy to take over his contract.  Wish you would see Kennedy and see if this is agreeable to all concerned.  Kennedy did not want to lose his trade at the saloon and was not duty bound as to time on contract.  Lambing was satisfied with me taking it.  I proposed a change on the Kennedy contract.  I would sink a pit to gravel 25 feet deep, starting the pit 100 feet square surface measurement to have bank slope of 48 degrees.  I proposed to let this to Chinaman.  We would have to build a house for the Chinamen.  I to pay one third of all material and labor.  It will take about two months to excavate pit, during that time you and I can finish pump frame for water wheel to run pump, lay pipe from Oenstock, move derrick from pit, move your house (now stands where Frank and Aunt Kate lived).  The pit they sank was a failure.  Ira and Frank went mining on Irish Hill, Henry mined near Oenstock, ground sluiced.  Lambing agreed to my plans and put it in writing.  I let the contract to Chinaman to excavate pit for 100 dollars, we furnished wheelbarrows, picks, shovels and wheeling plank.  We had to build a house for the Chinamen before they could go to work.  The house was thirty feet long, twenty feet wide and seven feet high.  Bunks on one side and two ends, dirt floor.  Chinamen used grass mats to lay and sleep on, no other bedding in that climate.  When house was built the Chinamen built a cooking furnace of rock soapstone and mud mortar, 4 by 6 feet and three feet high.  They did a neat job, sides straight, top covered with sheet iron cover with three holes for cooking.  I gave them an eight inch stove pipe.  Then we built a temporary shack, all of rough lumber, partition near one end where menfolks slept.  Alta and her grandmother hung blankets across one corner for their bedroom  We did not cut any lumber, only what was needed.  When water season was over Ira, Frank, Henry, Lambing and I dismantled and moved the house from Irish Hill and put it up here (where it now stands) and moved in.  Used the shack lumber for other purposes.