Days of Gold : The California Gold Rush and the American Nation

On the morning of January 24, 1848, James W. Marshall discovered gold in California. The news spread across the continent, launching hundreds of ships and hitching a thousand prairie schooners filled with adventurers in search of heretofore unimagined wealth. Those who joined the procession—soon called 49ers—included the wealthy and the poor from every state and territory, including slaves brought by their owners. In numbers, they represented the greatest mass migration in the history of the Republic. In this first comprehensive history of the Gold Rush, Malcolm J. Rohrbough demonstrates that in its far-reaching repercussions, it was the most significant event in the first half of the nineteenth century. No other series of events between the Louisiana Purchase and the Civil War produced such a vast movement of people; called into question basic values of marriage, family, work, wealth, and leisure; led to so many varied consequences; and left such vivid memories among its participants. Through extensive research in diaries, letters, and other archival sources, Rohrbough uncovers the personal dilemmas and confusion that the Gold Rush brought. His engaging narrative depicts the complexity of human motivation behind the event and reveals the effects of the Gold Rush as it spread outward in ever-widening circles to touch the lives of families and communities everywhere in the United States. For those who joined the 49ers, the decision to go raised questions about marital obligations and family responsibilities. For those men—and women, whose experiences of being left behind have been largely ignored until now—who remained on the farm or in the shop, the absences of tens of thousands of men over a period of years had a profound impact, reshaping a thousand communities across the breadth of the American nation Days of Gold, cover Days of Gold, pp. 00i Days of Gold, pp. 00ii-00iv Days of Gold, pp. 00v-00vii Days of Gold, pp. 00viii-00x Days of Gold, pp. 00xi-00xiii Days of Gold, pp. 00xiv-00xvi Days of Gold, pp. 00xvii-00xix Days of Gold, pp. 00xx-002 Days of Gold, pp. 003-005 Days of Gold, pp. 006-008 Days of Gold, pp. 009-011 Days of Gold, pp. 012-014 Days of Gold, pp. 015-017 Days of Gold, pp. 018-020 Days of Gold, pp. 021-023 Days of Gold, pp. 024-026 Days of Gold, pp. 027-029 Days of Gold, pp. 030-032 Days of Gold, pp. 033-035 Days of Gold, pp. 036-038 Days of Gold, pp. 039-041 Days of Gold, pp. 042-044 Days of Gold, pp. 045-047 Days of Gold, pp. 048-050 Days of Gold, pp. 051-053 Days of Gold, pp. 054-056 Days of Gold, pp. 057-059 Days of Gold, pp. 060-062 Days of Gold, pp. 063-065 Days of Gold, pp. 066-068 Days of Gold, pp. 069-071 Days of Gold, pp. 072-074 Days of Gold, pp. 075-077 Days of Gold, pp. 078-080 Days of Gold, pp. 081-083 Days of Gold, pp. 084-086 Days of Gold, pp. 087-089 Days of Gold, pp. 090-092 Days of Gold, pp. 093-095 Days of Gold, pp. 096-098 Days of Gold, pp. 099-101 Days of Gold, pp. 102-104 Days of Gold, pp. 105-107 Days of Gold, pp. 108-110 Days of Gold, pp. 111-113 Days of Gold, pp. 114-116 Days of Gold, pp. 117-119 Days of Gold, pp. 120-122 Days of Gold, pp. 123-125 Days of Gold, pp. 126-128 Days of Gold, pp. 129-131 Days of Gold, pp. 132-134 Days of Gold, pp. 135-137 Days of Gold, pp. 138-140 Days of Gold, pp. 141-143 Days of Gold, pp. 144-146 Days of Gold, pp. 147-149 Days of Gold, pp. 150-152 Days of Gold, pp. 153-154a Days of Gold, pp. 154b-154d Days of Gold, pp. 154e-154g Days of Gold, pp. 154h-154j Days of Gold, pp. 154k-154m Days of Gold, pp. 154n-156 Days of Gold, pp. 157-159 Days of Gold, pp. 160-162 Days of Gold, pp. 163-165 Days of Gold, pp. 166-168 Days of Gold, pp. 169-171 Days of Gold, pp. 172-174 Days of Gold, pp. 175-177 Days of Gold, pp. 178-180 Days of Gold, pp. 181-183 Days of Gold, pp. 184-186 Days of Gold, pp. 187-189 Days of Gold, pp. 190-192 Days of Gold, pp. 193-195 Days of Gold, pp. 196-198 Days of Gold, pp. 199-201 Days of Gold, pp. 202-204 Days of Gold, pp. 205-207 Days of Gold, pp. 208-210 Days of Gold, pp. 211-213 Days of Gold, pp. 214-216 Days of Gold, pp. 217-219 Days of Gold, pp. 220-222 Days of Gold, pp. 223-225 Days of Gold, pp. 226-228 Days of Gold, pp. 229-231 Days of Gold, pp. 232-234 Days of Gold, pp. 235-237 Days of Gold, pp. 238-240 Days of Gold, pp. 241-243 Days of Gold, pp. 244-246 Days of Gold, pp. 247-249 Days of Gold, pp. 250-252 Days of Gold, pp. 253-255 Days of Gold, pp. 256-258 Days of Gold, pp. 259-261 Days of Gold, pp. 262-264 Days of Gold, pp. 265-267 Days of Gold, pp. 268-270 Days of Gold, pp. 271-273 Days of Gold, pp. 274-276 Days of Gold, pp. 277-279 Days of Gold, pp. 280-282 Days of Gold, pp. 283-285 Days of Gold, pp. 286-288 Days of Gold, pp. 289-291 Days of Gold, pp. 292-294 Days of Gold, pp. 295-297 Days of Gold, pp. 298-300 Days of Gold, pp. 301-303 Days of Gold, pp. 304-306 Days of Gold, pp. 307-309 Days of Gold, pp. 310-312 Days of Gold, pp. 313-315 Days of Gold, pp. 316-318 Days of Gold, pp. 319-321 Days of Gold, pp. 322-324 Days of Gold, pp. 325-327 Days of Gold, pp. 328-330 Days of Gold, pp. 331-333 Days of Gold, pp. 334-336 Days of Gold, pp. 337-339 Days of Gold, pp. 340-342 Days of Gold, pp. 343-345 Days of Gold, pp. 346-348 Days of Gold, pp. 349-351 Days of Gold, pp. 352-354 Days of Gold, pp. 358-360 On the morning of January 24, 1848, James W. Marshall discovered gold in California. The news spread across the continent, launching hundreds of ships and hitching a thousand prairie schooners filled with adventurers in search of heretofore unimagined wealth. Those who joined the procession—soon called 49ers—included the wealthy and the poor from every state and territory, including slaves brought by their owners. In numbers, they represented the greatest mass migration in the history of the Republic.In this first comprehensive history of the Gold Rush, Malcolm J. Rohrbough demonstrates that in its far-reaching repercussions, it was the most significant event in the first half of the nineteenth century. No other series of events between the Louisiana Purchase and the Civil War produced such a vast movement of people; called into question basic values of marriage, family, work, wealth, and leisure; led to so many varied consequences; and left such vivid memories among its participants.Through extensive research in diaries, letters, and other archival sources, Rohrbough uncovers the personal dilemmas and confusion that the Gold Rush brought. His engaging narrative depicts the complexity of human motivation behind the event and reveals the effects of the Gold Rush as it spread outward in ever-widening circles to touch the lives of families and communities everywhere in the United States. For those who joined the 49ers, the decision to go raised questions about marital obligations and family responsibilities. For those men—and women, whose experiences of being left behind have been largely ignored until now—who remained on the farm or in the shop, the absences of tens of thousands of men over a period of years had a profound impact, reshaping a thousand communities across the breadth of the American nation.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1997.On the morning of January 24, 1848, James W. Marshall discovered gold in California. The news spread across the continent, launching hundreds of ships and hitching a thousand prairie schooners filled with adventurers in search of heretofore unimagined wea