United States, during which time Adeline gave birth to a second child, who died in infancy. A decade later, Green's son Wharton married his stepmother's daughter, thereby completing the union between the two families.54

Ever the restless adventurer, Green was not content to enjoy the life of leisure that his newfound wealth afforded him. With annexation imminent, he planned to stand for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives from the western district of Texas,55 but the discovery of gold in California prompted him to cancel his return to Texas and to public life. In 1849 he headed west once again with the intention of making his fortune. Although he had never tried his hand at prospecting, he had evidently done a study of the subject, and prior to his departure he filed for a patent for a device he dubbed "Green's Compound Action Gold Extractor."56

It is doubtful that the extractor was ever used by Green himself, whose career as a gold prospector was as brief as it was undistinguished. He arrived at Rose's Bar, a mining camp on the south bank of the lower Yuba River, in late July 1849, with a dozen Texans and fifteen slaves. Although the use of slave labor violated local mining bylaws, Green and his men marked off about a third of a mile of land along the river, raising the ire of free-soilers who had migrated to the area, and filed claims for both themselves and their slaves. A committee of miners at Rose's Bar visited Green's camp and informed him that slaves could neither work in the mines nor legally settle on public lands, ownership of which was restricted to citizens of the United States. At first the Texans insisted on the right to file preemption claims for their slaves, but they soon decided to abandon the camp when the miners threatened to run them off.57

Although he made no attempt to return to prospecting, Green remained sanguine about opportunities in California. Always keenly aware of the potential profits to be made speculating in undeveloped lands, he and a group of investors purchased lots in Sutter County near the fork of the Yuba and Bear rivers, hastily erected a few cabins, and named the place Oro. In the spring of 1850 the founders of Oro were expecting an influx of settlers, but their optimism proved unwarranted. They had underestimated the costs to advertise the town and to make the capital improvements needed to attract settlers. Nor had the promoters expected their efforts to be sabotaged by neighboring hamlets that also hoped to cater to the mining population. "Oro is surrounded by Enemies, not only fierce in their hostility, but brutal in their actions," wrote one of Green's business partners.58 Moreover, the shallow water of the Bear River made the town difficult to reach by steamboat, and settlers complained that the price of land lots was too high. Add to this the fact that Oro lacked a tavern, an indispensable asset for any Gold Rush town, and it is easy to see why settlers to northern California sought accommodations elsewhere.59 Hedging his speculative bets, Green also bought lots in the town of Vallejo, which served