by Fred Rosen
children of, xxii, 32, 208, 209–10, 215–21
death of, 214
letters to Zerelda, 210
as preacher in Clay County, MO, xxi–xxii, 12–13, 207–8
in Rough and Ready, CA, 210–14
James, Zerelda, 208, 215–16
Jayhawkers, 217
Jenkins, Sam, 180–81
Joanna Analuffa (Danish schooner), 144–45
Jones, Anson, 16–17
Journal of Commerce (London), 109
Kansas, 4–5
Kirtland Mills, OH, 52–53
Lancaster, OH, xxiii
Laramie, WY, 233–34
Larkin, Thomas
about, 71–72
on commerce and manpower, 74–77
gold seekers, description of, 79–83
panning for gold, description of, 83–84
Latin American immigrants, 191–94
Latin Americans and Californios, racism against, 191–94
law and order, gold rush and, 86
Leverett (McNeil’s traveling companion), 134–35, 140
Liberty Tribune (newspaper), 207–8
Life on the Plains and among the diggings (Delano), 169–71
Lincoln, Abraham, assassination of, 220, 232
liquor houses, 158
Little Big Horn, 242
Logan (steamship captain), 115, 120, 122
Los Angeles, CA
Mexican American War in, 29–31
questioning prisoners in, 195–96
Love, Harry, 201–2
lye soap, 39
Maria Burt (steamship), 123
Marshall, James
author’s reminiscing about, 256–59
Butte Creek ranch, 13–14
cabin in Coloma, 226–27, 258
death of, 248
discovery of gold, 37–40, 43–45
Frémont and, 21–22
pension from CA state legislature, 235
sawmill, Marshall and Sutter’s, 31–37, 38, 65, 68–69, 257–58
traveling west, 11–12
as vintner (1857–1860), 226–27
as wheelwright at Fort Sutter, 13, 31–32
Martin, Daniel, 253–54
Mason, John, 192–93
Mason, Richard Barnes, 62
Matamoros, Mexico, 18
Mazatlán route to California, 97, 99
McCall, “Broken Nose” Jack, 240
McLaury and Clanton gang, 246–47
McNeil, Samuel. See also McNeil’s Travels about, III, 113–14
advice to miners, 291–92
birth of, xxiii
cholera, 129, 135
on death of companion, 135–36
encounter with Comanche Indians, 136–38
on finding gold, 153–54
on government and class differences, 118–19
Indian scare, 134–35
on Mexican senoritas, 131–32, 133
on religion, 117
Strode’s slandering of, 140–42
on Sutter, 243–45
Sycamore Tree Establishment, Sacramento City, CA, 157–67
traveling companions, 113, 143–44, 165
on volcanoes, 142
McNeil’s Travels (chronologically)
about, 112–14
steamship to New Orleans, 115–23
New Orleans, LA, 123
steamship to Panama (leaks), 123
steamship to Brazos, TX, 124–25
Reynosa, Mexico, 125–33
Rio Grande River crossing, 131
San Juan River, 133, 135
Monterrey to Durango, 136–38
Mazatlán, 138–43
McNeil leaves his group, 142
San Francisco, 142–45
Sacramento, 149–50, 157–67
Smith’s Bar, 149–51, 152–53
returning home, 167–68, 249–50
Mexican-American War. See also Treaty of
Guadalupe-Hidalgo
the Bear Flag Revolt, 20
border dispute, 15–16, 17
declaration of war, 18
end of, 66–67
Mexican militia, 29, 30–31
Mexican surrender in California, 21
Mormon Battalion, 54–57, 114
in Polk’s State of the Union Address, 296–300
Polk’s State of the Union Address on, 296–300
settlement negotiations, 41–43
Treaty of Cahuenga (1847), 261–65
U.S. attempts to negotiate, 17
Mexican militia, 29, 30–31
Mexican senoritas, 131–32, 133
military deserters, 85, 93
miner courts, 159, 171, 183, 184
mining gold. See entries beginning with “gold”
mining quartz, 91, 241
mining silver, 228, 245–46
Mississippi River, 122–23
Missouri Compromise (1850), 172
Missouri Mounted Volunteers, 32
Monroe, Andrew, 188–89, 248
Monterey, CA, 19–21, 63–65, 71, 79, 85, 243
Monterey County Historical Society, 253–54
Monterey style of architecture, 71
Monterrey, Mexico, 135–36, 174
Mormon Battalion, 54–57, 114
Mormons and Mormonism
discovery of gold and, 38–39, 46, 57–58
early history, 52–54
gold rush and, 67–68
leadership of Young, 54–56
Mulford, Prentice, 151
Murieta, Joaquin
Love’s pursuit of, 201–2
mining with Hobson, 197–99
as old man, 254
rampage of crime, 199–201
as revolutionary, 203
Reyes’ framing of, 196
Muzzey, David Saville, 17
Native Americans
Act for the Government and Protection of the Indians (1850), 204, 205
Cheyenne and Sioux, 225–26
Comanches, 136–38
Custer and, 242
dangers for overland travelers, 114
as mill builders and workers, 35–36, 68
in New Mexico, 67
in Ohio, xxii–xxiii
Sioux, 225–26, 233–34, 236 (See also Black Hills gold rush)
as slaves, 203–5
Sutter and, 5, 8–9
Treaty of 1868 with Sioux, 233–34, 236
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo provisions, 276–78
Zapatero (Tejon chief), 196
Nauvoo, IL, 53
New Helvetia, 6
New Orleans, LA, 123
New York Harbor, 4
New York Herald, 100–102
Nicaraguan route to California, 97, 99
Nome, AK, 247–48
Paine, Lewis, 232–33
Paisano (New York Herald correspondent), 101–2
panning for gold, 68, 83–84, 155–57, 259
Perkins of Cincinnati, 126–27
Pico, Andres, 31, 263
placer gold, 74, 78, 86, 154–55, 241
the placer (gold region), 74–75, 77, 79, 81–82, 88–89
Polk, James K.
gold discovery and, 72–73, 105–6, 207, 293
Larkin and, 73
Mexican American War, 17–18
Mormons and, 54–55
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, 42–43, 66, 99–100
Webster’s criticism of, 99–100
Polk’s State of the Union Address (1848)
on developing California, 306–7
on gold in California, 105–6, 207, 303–6
on Mexican-American War, 296–300
on territorial possessions, 300–303
on treaties with other countries, 294–96
on U.S. military strength, 296–99
on U.S. Navy, 299–300
polygamy of Mormons, 53
Porter, Jim, 115–16
presidential election (1848), 99–100
prospectors. See gold miners
publishing industry on gold fields, 96–99
Quantrill, William, 216–20
quartz mining, 91, 241
racism and class distinctions
against Chinese immigrants, 189–91
crime in California and, 169–71
gold fields and, 91, 118–20, 163–64, 166
greed as, 191
higher class of steamboat pilot, 115
Irish immigrants, 120, 149–50, 158–59
against Latin Americans and Californios, 191–94
Native Americans, 203–5
ranching in Southern California, 29–30, 87–88, 204–5
religion, gold rush and, 117–18
Reminiscences of a ranger; or, Early times in Southern California (Bell), 194–99, 201–2
resolutions for controlling crime, 181–82
Reyes, Feliz, 196
Reynosa, Mexico, 127, 129, 132–33
Rich Bar, CA, 151–52
Rio Bravo del Norte. See Rio Grande River
Rio Grande River
McNeil’s description of, 126, 130–31
Mexican-American border dispute, 15–16, 17
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo provisions, 66, 270, 272, 273
Rocky Mountains route to California, 97, 98–99
Ross, Horatio, 238, 239
Rough and Ready mining camp, 210–14
Russia, 9, 10
Sacramento, CA
expansion of, 255
growth of, 70
as likely spot for town, 2, 7
Mrs. Moore’s establishment, 150
Sutter’s founding of, 7
Sycamore Tree Establishment, 157–67
Sacramento Harbor, 2, 7–8
Sacramento River, 2, 7, 70, 79, 149
the saints. See Mormons and Mormonism
Salt Lake City, 197–98
Samuels, Reuben, 216, 220
San Diego, CA, 43
San Fernando Valley, 30–31
San Francisco, CA
arson in, 175
commerce and manpower in, 74–77
crime rate, 148–49, 169–71, 173–76
desertion of during gold rush, 75–76, 84–85, 89–90, 92
harbor with abandoned ships, 147
mob violence against criminals, 176–78
news of gold discovery in, 61
storage costs, 292
Vigilance Committee, 179–83, 186
weather in, 93–94
San Francisco Daily Courier, 178, 180–82
San Juan River, 133–35
Santa Anna, Antonio Lopez de, 17, 41–42
Santa Fe, NM, 130
Savannah, GA, 232
sawmill, Marshall and Sutter’s, 31–37, 38, 65, 68–69, 257–58
Schieffelin, Ed, 245–47
Scott, Winfield, 41
Seward, William, 233
Shaeffer, Francis, 162
Sheridan, Philip “Little Phil,” 237–38, 242
Sherman, William Tecumseh “Cump”
about, 62–63
birth of, xxiii
Civil War, march across Georgia, 229–32
Custer and, 237–38
retirement and death of, 248
Treaty of 1868 negotiated by, 233–34
ships’ crews, desertion of, 75, 85
silver mining, 228, 245–46
Simpson, Henry, 96–99
Sioux tribes, 225–26, 233–34, 236. See also Black Hills gold rush
slavery
of Californian Indians, 203–5
California’s stand on, 188, 189
as campaign issue (1848), 99–100
Taylor’s response to South, 172
Slidell, John, 17
Sloat, John D., 20–21
Smith, Azariqah, 40
Smith, George, 61
Smith, Joseph, 51–54
Smith’s Bar, CA, 149–51, 152–53
South America (steamer), 115–23
Spanish land grants in California, 29–30
Stanish Lou River, 153
Stanislaus Three, 185
steamships
to Brazos, TX, 124–25
gamblers aboard, 116
gold rush business boost, 108, 115
Ohio to New Orleans, LA, 115–23
to Panama (springs a leak), 123
as recommended mode of travel, 97–98
supplies for miners on, 102
Strode, Edward, 134–35, 140–42
Studebaker, John, 108
Sutter, Anna Dubeld, 3
Sutter, John. See also Sutter’s Fort birth to early 30s, 3–4
death of, 243
Frémont and, 31
gold discovery and, 43–49
McNeil’s description of, 243–45
Mexican citizenship, 7, 9–10, 14
mining for gold, 90–91
myth about ruination of, 164–65
petitioning Congress for return of his land, 233, 234–35
provisions for Donner Party, 24–25
sawmill, Marshall and Sutter’s, 31–37, 38, 65, 68–69, 257–58
Swiss Guard and, 2–3
Sutter’s Creek, CA, 91
Sutter’s Fort
anonymous letter written from, 91–94
business success, 9, 10–11
description of, 1–2, 8
Frémont and, 20, 21–22, 31
idea for, 6
reconstruction of, 255
shopping mall and hotel at, 109
Swiss Guard, 2–3, 6
Swiss militia, 3–4, 6
Sycamore Tree Establishment, Sacramento, CA, 157–67
Sydney (Australia), British ex-convicts from, 170–71, 175–76
Taylor, Zachary “Rough and Ready,” 17, 18, 100, 105, 172–73
territorial possessions of U.S., 300–303
Tevis, Lloyd, 241
Texas annexation resolution (1845), 16
Texas Congress, 16
Texas statehood, 15–18. See also Mexican-American War
“The excitement and enthusiasm of Gold Washing still continues-increases” (California Star), 86–89
Times of London (newspaper), 102–3
Tombstone, AZ, 246–47
Tombstone Mine, 245–46
tools and goods. See commerce; gold mining equipment
Townsend, A. A., 210, 211
transcontinental railroad, feasibility of, 73
transportation. See steamships
Treaty of 1868, 233–34, 236
Treaty of Cahuenga (1847), 261–65
Treaty of Greenville (1796), xxii
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo (1848)
amity, commerce, and navigation, 281
on boundary between U.S. and Mexico, 66, 270–73
Californios and, 192
declarations of peace, 265–67
on disagreements or war subsequent to the treaty, 285–88
discharge of debts owed by Mexico and Mexicans, 279–81
on duties and bonds, 267–68, 285
on exports from Mexico related to troop withdrawal, 284–85
on imports into Mexico, 282–84
introduction to, 265–66
on Mexicans living on U.S. side, 274–75
negotiations, 42–43
overview, 66–67, 290
payment due Mexico for land, 278–79
Polk’s support for, 66, 100
on prisoners of war, 270, 288–89
on Rio Grande River travel, 273–74
on U.S. control of “savage tribes,” 276–78
on U.S. withdrawal from Mexico, 268–70
on withdrawal of U.S. troops in Mexico, 281–82
trenches and flumes, 191
Trist, Nicholas, 41–43. See also Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
Tyler, Daniel, 56–57
Tyler, John, 16
Union soldiers, 218–20
U.S. Congress, 16, 18
U.S. military, 296–99
U.S. Navy, 299–300
>
Van Buren, Martin, 100
Vigilance Committee of San Francisco, 179–83, 186
Walker (McNeil’s traveling companion), 167–68
Walnut Creek, 183–84
Washingtonville (mining camp), 190–91
Weber River Canyon, Donner Party and, 23
Webster, Daniel, 99–100
Westport, KS, 4–5
wheelwright, 13. See also Marshall, James
Whig Party, 100, 105. See also Taylor, Zachary
Wimmer, Jenny, 39, 48
Wittmer, Jacob, 61
Wood, William Maxwell, 10
woven Indian baskets, mining with, 68
Wright, Daniel H., 214
Yerba Buena, Mexico, 5–6
Young, Brigham, 54–56
Younger, Bob, 219, 221
Younger, Cole, 219, 221
Zane, Ebenezer, xxiii
Zane’s Trace, xxiii
Zapatero (Tejon chief), 196
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The opportunity to write about history is as chance an occurrence as history itself. That is rather appropriate, considering this book itself is about a chance occurrence.
It was John Oakes who came up with the idea and gave me the vision. He saw first that the Gold Rush affected everybody, and I thank him for the opportunity to prove him right. Catheline Jean-François’s editing and suggestions made it even better.
Lori Perkins is George Tobias, the great Hollywood character actor who always played the sympathetic agent. I thank her for her ideas and support and thank God she looks nothing like George Tobias.
The librarians and others at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., made my research easy. As did the California state rangers in Sacramento and Coloma. They are wonderful custodians of our nation’s history.
Most of all, thanks to my wife, Leah, and my daughter, Sara, for their support.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
This book is a work of nonfiction, though many of its elements have been heavily fictionalized in the past. If there is any doubt about that, just glance at the story of Joaquin Murietta; it has been fictionalized so many times, it is almost impossible to tell fiction from fact.
To try to present as accurate a record as possible of the time in question, I have treated the Gold Rush as a story of investigative journalism. I have gone to the primary sources. Through research at the Library of Congress, the California Historical Society, and other databases, this book relies on firsthand accounts of the participants in the period of California’s change into a state and America into a postindustrialized society. On-site research at Sutter’s Fort, Coloma, Hangtown, and other towns in gold country helped to understand things first-hand.
I retain the journalistic prerogative to evaluate the information from these sources, and when two or more accounts compete, I have made a concerted judgment on which is the most truthful.
About the Author
A former columnist for the Arts & Leisure section of the New York Times, Fred Rosen is an award-winning author of true crime and history books, including Gold!, Did They Really Do It?, and Lobster Boy. He can frequently be seen on the Investigation Discovery network’s Evil Kin and Evil Twins TV series, where he is a regular on-air commentator.
