Placer Herald - March 20, 1889
Death of Dr. Chapin
The large rainfall of last week, made large streams of the little foothill rills and swelled the flow of water to a rushing turbulent river. The water had never been so high for 12 or 15 yrs. and those most familiar with the ravine but faintly realized the volume and the power of the surging water, as it swept down the narrow channel toward the valley. The stream was at its highest last Thursday when John Hutchison, who lives near the old Crater house on the upper road below Ophir, came to Auburn for a physician to attend a sick member of his family. He called upon Dr. Chapin, who went out from his home towards noon and visited the Hutchison house. During the afternoon, Ford Hawkins, the milkman, while on his way to Auburn, discovered Dr. Chapin’s horse, with the shaft of the buggy dangling to the harness, standing near the Doty’s Flat crossing, about 2 miles below town. He knew at once that an accident had occurred and a little further down he saw the wreck of the buggy in the water. Mr, Hawkins hurried to Auburn and gave the alarm, The accident that had really befallen Dr. Chapin was surmised at once exactly as it happened and a sad body of men went down to make a search. At 8 o’clock, they found Dr. Chapin’s body about half a mile below the crossing in the water and lodged under a pile of brush, which had caught against a wire fence. He was drowned and appeared to have been dead about two hours, His watch had stopped at 2:10 pm. Which is about the time he would have arrived at the ford on his return. . .Coroner, Rooney , did not deem it necessary to hold an inquest. . .the strong current at the crossing had overturned and wrecked his carriage. . . .Dr. Chapin was bon in White Pidgeon, Michigan, on March 12, 1839. He came to California in 1866 and first practiced medicine in Auburn, He married Miss Marie Endicott, that same year, who is a cousin of W. C. Endicott, Ex Pres. Cleveland’s Secretary of War , , ,
Additional information on Dr. Chapin by Auburn historian, Lorilie Hodkin.
Dr, Chapin and his wife Marie owned the Placer County Hospital on Maple Street in Old Town Auburn (now a museum). It was purchased from J. M. Jacobs on 6-12-1866 for use as a home and office—Deeds Book M page 403. He sold it back to J. M. Jacobs 8-29-1871, Deeds Book T page 19. The names listed are Dr. Samuel F .Chapin and his wife Marie, both of Tehema County.
Placer Herald
Feb 12, 1853
Big Lump----We are indebted to Mr. Martin of “Adams & Co. Express at Ophir for the following item. “Mr. Henry Hoffman, while prospecting at Doty’s Flat a few days since, dug up a lump of gold weighing 88 and a half ounces. The lump is entirely free of quartz and is decidedly the largest specimen ever found in this foothill country.