History of California

both northern and southern California, and

idly digging up a wild onion, or brodecia, discovered what he thought lumps of gold clinging to its roots. Takin

were called "placer," from a Spanish word meaning loose or moving about, because the metal was loosely mixed with sand and gravel, generally

Cape Horn, the first parcel of California gold dust ever received

ed many thousand dollars' worth of gold dust. It is on record that one firm in Los Angeles, which handled most of the gold from

California from an almost unknown land with slight and scattered population to a community so rich as to disturb the money markets of the worl

the American leaders, General Kearny and Commodore Stockton, and between Kearny and Fremont, who had been appointed by Stockton military governor of the territory. This appointment Genera

found him guilty and sentenced him to be dismissed from the army, the President, remembering his services in the exploration of the West, and quite possibly thinking him not the person most to blame, pardoned and restored him to his position. Fremont, feeling that h

rnia. Mason chose as his adjutant, or secretary, a young lieutenant named Sherman, who, years later, in the Civil War,

ns, most of them strong, hardy men, all overjoyed that the territory was in the hands of the United States and all eager to know what w

d trail ends at my rancho, I must be ready to furnish them provisions. They are always hungry when they get there,

an American by birth, a millwright by trade; "but to build

hands." The place was found on a swift mountain stream. Near the present site of Coloma, in the midst of pine forests, on the water soon to be so well known a

he exclaimed. "This is your business." Soon

said Marshall to his men. "I want to test it and al

the race with a clean, smooth bed. The next day, Monday, January 24, 1848,-wonderful day for Califo

e have plenty of trees down, there is nothing to hinder;" but at that moment as he walked beside the bed of the tail

not seem to be of the right color; all the gold coin I had seen was of a reddish tinge; this looked more like brass. I recalled to mind all the metals I had

opedia, probably the only one in the territory at that time, and by comparing the weight of the metal with the weight of an equal bulk of water found its specific gravity, which proved it to

just come down from Captain Sutter on special business and they wanted to see Governor Mason in person. I took them in to the colonel and left them together. After some time th

acids. I took a piece in my teeth and the metallic lustre was perfect. I then called to the clerk, Baden, to bring in an ax and hatchet from the backyard. When these were brought, I took the largest piece and b

he harbor were sent by their owners not to Yerba Buena, of which they knew nothing, but to San Francisco, persuaded the town coun

orseman from the mines, riding down Market Street, waving

Everybody scattered, not wounded and dying, however, but full of life, ready to endure anything, risk anything, for the sake of findi

ly, nowhere the pleasant hum of industry salutes the ear as of late; but as if a curse had arrested our onward course of enterprise, everything wears a desolate, sombre look. All through the Sundays the l

on silent and deserted. No more logs were cut, and no lumber hauled down for the flour mill. There were no men to be found who

knew what was going on, got together money enough to buy the simple implements of knife, pan, pick, and cradle, which were all the tools necessary for the e

ple came flocking to the mines. Reports were current of men finding hundreds of dollars' worth of gold a day, gaining a fortune in a few wee

n to Monterey, having seen for themselves that many even of the wildest rumors were true

of the army was appointed by the governor for the imp

reached the Peruvian port just in time to catch the British steamer back to Panama. Crossing the Isthmus on horseback, he took a steamer for Kingston, Jamaica. There he found

of the abundance of gold in that territory are of such extraordinary character as would scarcely command belief but for the authentic repor

the whole civilized world. Large numbers of people began immediate preparation for making the overland journey as s

t with the stately frigates and ships they had been accustomed to see, exclaimed, "How ugly!" Although it was not a beautiful vessel, its arrival was an event of great importance, for it

most as many more by sea, from the States alone. There were be

ny had gone to the gold fields. Now it suddenly found itself called upon to give shelter to thousands of people bound for the mines, and many al

de by four upright green poles over which were spread matting and old bedding. Hundreds of ships lay helpless in the harbor waiting for crews, often for men to unload

sometimes literally submerged. The arrival of the mail steamer was the event of the month to this host of people so far away from home and loved ones. Guns were fired, bells rang to announce the approach of the vessel, then there was a wild rush to the post office, where the long lines of men, most of them wearing flan

s described

place where such wonderful fortunes were made. It was a hot summer afternoon when, crossing a region of low, thinly wooded hills, w

ling; I saw no gleam of the yellow sands of which I had heard such stories. I followed one of the men who carried the buckets of earth to something that looked very like our family cradle with the footboard knocked out. Where the slats might have been there was nailed a piece of sheet iron punched f

and shaken sidewise until the dirt and gravel were washed away and only heavy grains of gold remained. There were enough of the

little canyon, and I sat on the bowlder and watched them digging into the earth with their knives and picking up every few minutes spoons of earth in which there were plainly vi

knife of yours and dig for your fortune. Across this ridge i

et. My heart began to pound faster than it did on the glorious day when in my boyhood home I had won the mile race at the county fa

my heart to resume its natural beats. I worked half an hour or so without finding any sign, as it was called, and began to feel discouraged. In the canyon, which was very narrow, a large bowlder blocked my progress. I determin

went upon my knees and I fell to work with a will-the strength of a man seemed in my arms. Off came my coat, and spreading it out I scooped the rich dirt into it by the handful. I had happened on a pocke

nozzle they had brought up from the coast. Turning the water in this on a dry hill rich in gold deposit, they easily and rapidly washed the dirt down into a sluice or trough below. This had bars nailed across, and water ru

eather River on the north to the Merced River on the south, a territory about thirty miles wide