The California Gold Rush

Argument

"The California Gold Rush", the subject I chose for my English Certificate Project is a very popular subject among young and old because this period of "blosson" for the American people was a source of inspiration for many stories during the 19th century and recently a set of films and documentaries have been presented to the public in order to show the lifestyle of that epoch and to destroy certain myths. Another reason for my choice is my passion for history and the fact that I recently discovered, that only few people know the real story of the Gold Rush, so I hope my project will elucidate certain facts. I am quite sure that only few people know that California is called the "Golden State" possibly for many reasons, among which, and in addition to its abundant sunshine, is the exciting and colourful history of the Gold Rush. It all started in a sleepy valley in Coloma, California when the accidental discovery of a humile carpenter soon redefined the American Dream. Unbelievable for most of us, this small discovery near the obscure American River would change forever a young nation. Therefore, the simple life would no longer be enough. In its place would come a new kind of lifestyle: entrepreneurial, wide-open, free. Also the American dream would be redefined including desires such as: to get rich; to make a fortune-quickly.

Undoubtedly, instant wealth was here for the taking. So, all across America, young men made the decision to go to California. Almost every city, every hamlet would send its brightest, its strongest, to California and eagerly awaited their triumphant return home. They came from Europe, Asia, and South America in search of instant riches.

Unintentionally, when James Wilson Marshall saw something golden shining in the tailrace at Sutter's Mill, he not only set off a worldwide rush to California but also touched off the greatest writing and artistic frenzy in the American nation's history. Newspapers, guidebooks, government reports, sermons, diaries and letters written home all spread the word about a land where golden dreams could be realized. Artists through sketches, paintings, prints, pictorial letter sheets, birds-eye views and illustrations for books likewise gave visual meaning to this new El Dorado. Because the gold discovery was such a large historical event and affected so many different people, there followed a vast number of conflicting stories about how and who was responsible for the exact way in which it occurred. Several tales include one report from a Mrs. Wimmer, the cook, who claims her husband was a co-discoverer and that the precious yellow metal was found by her children. The Mormons reportedly got wind of it through Henry Bigler's friends working on a new sawmill near Sutter's Fort. They later came to Coloma and prospected at a spot that became the rich diggings of Mormon Island. More than $80,000 eventually went through Brigham Young's gold accounts and into the Mormon mint in 1848-1851. Though, the date that Marshall found those first few flakes in the tailrace of the sawmill is uncertain; today most historians agree that Marshall was the discoverer, and that the date was January 24. Unexpectantly, by the fall of '49 gold fever had spread worldwide. Companies were being formed in Great Britain, Germany, and France. Miners were recruited from China. The Gold Rush assuaged some of the grievances of the economic world problems: the potato famine in Ireland; revolution in France, Germany, and Italy; Taiping Rebellion and opium wars in China. The California Gold Rush by the end of 1850 had affected markets worldwide. After 1850 major engineering efforts were required, because most of the remaining big gold deposits were under rivers or in prehistoric riverbeds. Hard-rock mining involved miles of tunnels beneath the earth and was followed in later times by hydraulic mining which washed away whole mountainsides. The hydraulic mining muddied up the riverbeds so badly that they became unnavigable. In 1882 the old steamer, Daisy, made its last run up the American River to the town of Folsom. On the Sacramento, Marysville was no longer a port. Farmlands were flooded and buried under sand, mud, and rocks. Still, miners continued to try and recover as much of the last few bits of gold as they could find. Inevitably, there followed long environmental battles over the use of giant dredgers that left endless windrows of bare stones. Early during World War II, all gold mining in the United States was stopped by executive order. By the time the presidential order was lifted, the old gold mining gear had rusted or been sold for scrap. Today, recreational panners and suction-dredge operators in scuba gear rework the creeks and rivers, reminiscent of the early '49er days. Although John Sutter tried desperately to find ways to profit from the discovery, both he and John Marshall never enjoyed the wealth, power, and prestige they felt they deserved. But what they set in motion was something far greater than either of them ever envisioned. As a mark of the good old days, today you can visit the town that became known as the "Queen of the Mines," and tour the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park. You can see James Marshall's cabin, and when you think of all that gold, it is sobering to look at this cabin and realize that throughout his life, he never lived in anything very much fancier. On one side of the highway close beside the river you can see a working replica of Sutter's mill and think of the thwarted little Swiss empire-the New Helvetia that was John Sutter's dream. Or you can look to the skyline to the southwest through a carefully cut break in the trees and see James Marshall's statue pointing to the spot where he found the first flake of gold glistening in the sun. Maybe the Gold Rush had its advantages and disadvantages but the people that lived it can only say that it was one of the greatest adventures the world had ever seen.