The City of John Day States: "John Day was a hunter from the backwoods of Virginia. He had been employed by Ramsay Crooks for several years when he arrived in Oregon, at about 40 years of age. He was described as six feet two inches tall, a handsome man with a manly countenance, straight as an Indian with an elastic step 'as if he trod on springs'. It was his boast that in his younger days nothing could hurt or daunt him, but he had lived too fast and injured his constitution by excesses. Still, he was strong of hand, bold of heart, a prime woodsman, and an almost unerring shot."

The Western Mining History States: "Grant County covers much of the southwestern part of the Blue Mountain region of northeastern Oregon where pre-Tertiary gold-bearing rocks are exposed.Soon after the initial discoveries of placer gold at Griffin Gulch in 1861, discoveries were made at Sumpter and Canyon Creek, and by 1864 nearly all the mining districts of the Blue Mountains area were known (Lindgren, 1901, p. 563-564). The important gold-producing districts in Grant County were the Canyon Creek, Granite, Greenhorn (partly in Baker County), North Fork, Quartzburg, and Susanville. From 1880 to 1899, Grant County produced $3,022,564 (about 146,000 ounces) in gold (Lindgren, 1901, p. 573). From 1904 through 1957 it produced 77,840 ounces of lode gold, 226,835 ounces of placer gold, and 19,967 ounces undifferentiated as to source. Approximate total gold production through 1959 was 470,600 ounces."

As Travel Oregon States: "With its cattle drives down Main Street, the Timber Truckers Light Parade and border collies and horse trailers, the small community of John Day wears its heart and heritage on its sleeve. Dramatic scenery, the beautiful, meandering John Day River and the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument all testify to the area’s remarkable geologic past. Outdoor recreation is a huge draw for visitors, though historic sites are also popular. The Kam Wah Chung & Co. Museum offers a fascinating look at the lives of Chinese residents here during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries."