Re: The Meaning of the word Panamint
Posted by Cecile on August 26, 2002 at 15:58:19:
In Reply to: Re: The Meaning of the word Panamint posted by Kent on August 26, 2002 at 12:45:18:
Kent, Gudde does not make any reference to miners and
and panning a mint. I just heard from Leroy
Johnson who confirmed what my husband and I were
saying this weekend, there would have been no
panning in Death Valley - no water to pan! I
have heard pan a mint in reference to the miners
of Death Valley, but I imagine where I heard it
was in a documentary made by Hollywood.... This
sounds like an analogy a documentary producer
would come up with and not even have full knowledge
of what they were talking about.
Of course, I could just as easily see a bunch of
drunk miners coining the term, as well. Didn't
matter that they weren't panning for gold, they
still were mining in mountains that made it sound
like they were so why not use that term?
Never know!