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In early 1849, Joshua Shelby was working as a cook in a fancy St. Louis restaurant. The hottest topic among the patrons there was the rivers of gold that had been found out in California. These seemingly easy pickins stoked a full-blown case of Gold Fever! The only cure was a pick axe and gold pan way up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains which lay far to the west. In mid 1849, Shelby loaded up his wagon and along with hundreds of other would-be prospectors he headed west to California. Eventually he settled in the Mother Lode region, not far from what became Yosemite National Park. Accompanied by his trusty mule Codie, and panning along the Merced River, Shelby found a little gold, but eventually grew tired of the backbreaking work. |
Looking around for something else to provide a living, Shelby realized that the gold mines and camps dished up awful, bland food that failed to stick to a man's ribs and about which the miners complained constantly. Falling back on his skills, recipes, and spice blends, Shelby took a job as a gold camp cook which led to local fame and a little fortune. He soon developed a reputation as a first class frontier chef famous for good 'ol fashioned home-style cooking. Joshua Shelby's trademark spice and rub blends were always chock full of flavor and new blends continuously evolved as immigrants of from far off countries arrived in the camps, some with exotic and rare spices with flavors he'd never encountered before. Shelby's dry spice blends stayed fresh until mixed with meat and various liquids available in the gold camps. Legend has it that he guarded these recipes with deadly accuracy. With his ol' 50 cal Sharp's rifle he was able to shoot the center out of a silver dollar at 75 yards. |
These mixes come from Josh Shelby's own handwritten journal, recovered along with a well-seasoned cast iron skillet from his secret hiding place, deep underground in one of the many mines that still dot Mariposa County. We had no idea when we staked our claim to an old, played-out mine in the Sierra Gold Country that the true gold we'd find would be Josh Shelby's journals! Leafing through the old miner's scribbling, we wondered whether the old guy was half the cook he thought he was. |
Once we deciphered Shelby's writing and actually tried some of his recipes, we realized that we'd hit the mother lode! After taking care to lock the originals in a vault in Mariposa County, we set out to bring Shelby's creations to the world. Some of the mix recipes have been updated to make them more acceptable to us modern folk. As we get more recipes deciphered and tried, we'll be expanding our offerings! |
We hope you enjoy these traditional mixes that contain no artificial ingredients, MSG, flavor enhancers, nor preservatives of any kind. That's why we can confidently state that "If it didn't exist in 1850, it ain't in here…" Miner's Mix is located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in beautiful Mariposa County. From here, in the shadow of incredible Yosemite National Park we work Shelby's old claim, while we package his mouthwatering spice mixes and rubs so that we can offer these wonderful treasures to you. Browse our site, and take your taste buds back to 1850! Throughout the site and links page, you'll find pictures and informative links that encourage you to explore the rich history of California, The Golden State. We'd love to have you plan a trip to these areas to see and experience real history for yourself. Feel free to browse, then come for a visit to enjoy the scenery and abundant deer, wild turkeys, and other wildlife. When you visit, just tell 'em "Josh Shelby sent me!" |
The Legend of Josua Shelby |