Gold Rush Article
The following article sent to me by Nathan Haines appeared in a magazine titled: "Everton's Geneaological Helper; July, August, 2000; Canadians and the California Gold Rush; Jack Schechter".
"A very large company left Montreal for the gold scene-some on horses, some in wagons, some in carts, some on foot and some on crutches. "'
The Toronto Examiner, 1848
"The staple items are, great abundance of gold, fabulous prices for all articles of necessity, a still teeming emigration of men hasting to be rich from
all over the world, a somewhat disordered condition of society and great prevalence of recklessness, extravagance, and hindered vice."
The Brockville Recorder and Advertiser, 1849
In January, 1850 Mr. Cronk of Whitby, Mr. J. Aid-fa ham Kyte of Kingston and an unidentified Canadian went to visit a sick friend named John Cameron Kenedy at the Public Hospital in San Francisco, California. Mr. Kenedy, formerly of Toronto and Montreal, was said to have "talents of a superior order, were well known to his friends in Canada and had they been more fortunately directed he would not have failed at attaining eminence."
He was a member of a party of Canadians who embarked on the vessel Samoset from New York City to seek their fortune in the California gold mines. The group was shocked to learn that Kenedy died three days previous. It was decided by his friends to locate his place of burial and erect a tombstone in his memory. The hospital staff could not tell them the location of the grave. The men "wandered over the hills endeavouring to find out the grave by examining the fresh ones, but of these there were so many, we had to give up the attempt in despair. His is the fate of thousands here, many of whom are more unfortunate; it may be mine or that of my friends."
The California Gold Rush was one of the great events of Ihe 19th century. In January 1848 J.W. Marshall discovered gold in a tailrace of a sawmill owned by John A. Sutler at Colona, on the south branch of the American River. It took several months for the news to cause a stir in California and by the end of the year newspapers were filled with stories of gold strikes. A gold mania spread throughout the United States and British North America. Men deserted their occupations and homes to travel thousands of miles to search for treasure in what was called the new El Dorado. Ships were left to rot in San Francisco harbour as all able-bodied men rushed to the mining districts. A large number of Canadians were part of this gold rush. Emigration to the United States is an important theme in Canadian history. The California Gold Rush was a preview of the tens of thousands who left British North America for the United States.
It is estimated that some 50,000 Canadians joined the Union and Confederate Armies during the Civil War. After the war many young Canadians went south searching for land and economic opportunity. Many French-Canadians and Maritimers emigrated to New England and worked in the mills. It was also popular for Canadians to cross the border for work in neighboring states of Michigan, Maine and New York. The promise of the West also attracted Canadians to this region from the end of the Civil War to the start of the First World War.
Newspapers in Canada reported on tales of gold discoveries by reprinting letters sent from American military and government officials to the New York
Herald and other newspapers. The Toronto Globe reported on December 13, 1848 that "the California gold mania absorbs the public mind, almost to the
exclusion of everything else. We hear of expeditions and private associations from all quarters for the gold regions.
There were various societies formed in Canadian cities by men with the intention bf travelling to the California gold fields. These societies were often announced in local newspapers. In the Moniretfl Gazelle, February 1849 under California:
- ' " , .<-
Parties Desirous of proceeding to have an opportunity on favorable te'nrisr a - COMPANY having been formed at Montreal for the purpose of fitting out an Expedition to that quarter. Prospectives stating the-views ~ the Company may be obtained at their Office, on application to the Secretary. John FredkSir Calder. Comer of St. Joseph and JNotre-Danie
Streets. N. B. All applications to be post-paid.'
\ ''\ In Kingston, C.W. a group of around 30 menlme't v:
in February 1849 at the office of.a.D.B. Jenkins to organize a group and fit out a schooner named The Sophia to travel to California. At Quebec City in November, 1849, relatives and friends said goodbye':/>,' to their departing young men who were clustered on the rigging of the ship. In Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, some forty men formed the California Association, each member providing lOOp. to purchase a ship called the Fanny. The ship left for California in November, 1849 filled with lumber, food, coal, iron, tools and two houses ready for assembly to reduce the anticipated expensive costs. Many Canadian newspapers lamented the loss of young and talented men to California. One stated:
We understand that a party of enterprising young men, 25 men in number, start this day for the gold mines of California from the Townships of Wainfleet, Thorold and Crowland. Their intention is to go by steam to Chicago, thence by rail and steam to Fort Independence, and thence by ox team across the Rocky Mountains. These parties are formed of individuals whom the country can ill spare industrious and
respectable young farmers with means of their own. It is hoped that a short time will satisfy their love of adventure and gold and restore them to their homes wealthy and contented.'
Dr. Robert Nelson, formerly a member of the Assembly for Montreal who lived in exile for several years in New York, left for San Francisco with a party of Lower Canadians, while other groups left from various Canadian cities such as Brockville, Kingston, Toronto and Quebec City.
The main challenge for Canadians was to get to California. At the start of the gold rush two main routes were a 15,000-mile journey by ship around the Horn of South America, or overland from the Isthmus of Panama. The cost of passage was several hundred dollars. The traveler also faced the perils of seasickness, poor food, robbery, storms and shipwreck. The rgold/msh" gave many young Canadians opportunity to seek.ttttar fortunes and adventure
the fiame'time. Joslah Davies, Jr. of Brockville, C. ty. went With three companions on the barque The ing -Sun from >New ybrk City.
V.We sailed froni. Stateh Island off New York on the 30th of March last, with a fair wind-but hen about Six hotirs it freshened out and I got , dreadful Sick with the sea sickness; I remained below for ten days, during which time it blew ^' Very hard; one of the -days we shipped several J^heavy spas; on that day we lost one of our boats 'and sky-light of our cabin. After that we had fair ' weather and crossed the equator on the 28th. . *"We did.not see land until 18th June, when we ^sighted land covered with snow which proved to be Jhe southernmost point of Patagonia, or what the sailors called Tempestous Horn. I . assure you we thought it well named. Before we got rid of it,-we were going round with light "breeze and studding sails-when the wind changed right on our teeth and blew a gale-and kept us beating on and off for about three weeks, during which time we had several snow storms-and though the end of June it was freezing so hard and so cold that our over coats, fur caps and gloves were comfortable things-and what made it worse was the long nights-sun rise at 9 A. M. and sun set at 6 P. M.-while here we were struck with a white or snow squall, and in seconds it carried away our fore yard and tore the foresail into ribbons, and some other damage, which took all next day to put up a new yard and bend on new sails; the weather after the first of July moderated, and we had a fair wind and made the port of Talcuhuro on the S.th."
The Isthmus of Panama was considered by many people to be the most direct and least expensive route. After an ocean journey to the port of Chagres it meant a journey by foot, mule, or canoe from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast. Accomodations often meant sleeping on the floor of a shed. Theft of baggage, tents and other articles was common. A Canadian traveler identified as a Kingstonian stated in a letter:
Arriving at Panama, you reach a city of filth, crowded to excess with adventurers from every nation, ruinous in its appearance, pestilential in its atmosphere, trouble and anxiety pervading the whole city, some arising through the loss of their luggage-their through tickets-some the loss of their all-and others bewailing having listened to false stories and on reaching here have not the wherewith left to proceed further. Such is the daily scene of the wretched remnant of dejected pomp.9
David Robbs, who spent several years in California, was considering travelling to the Australian gold fields. He wrote about his voyage to California in a letter to his brother in Kingston: "The Steamer we had tickets for was __________ coming round the Horn, and we –––___^^^ had to stop nearly three weeks on the Isthmus which caused about four hundred of the passengers to take the Fever and Ague; 29 died, and there were 13 deaths on the Steamer coming up; everything proved bad from Grey Town to San Francisco." 10
Other routes were developed to California by way of Lake Nicaragua and through northern Mexico or overland through the American plains. The traveler faced many perils such as robbery. One newspaper reported "We regret to leam that letters have been received in this city from the American Consul at Monterey, Mexico, announcing the murder of Captain Taylor, late of St. Catharines, and well known on the lake as Captain of the schooner Scotland. Taylor was on his way to California, when he was brutally murdered by a group of Mexican robbers. He was an indefatigable member of the St. Catharine Lodge of Odd Fellows in which he was a Past Grand, and his loss will be deeply deplored by all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance."'1
Captain Johnson of Prescott, C. W., embarked on the schooner Adda Linda on May 7, (1849) from the Pacific coast and encountered a severe gale. All hands were forced to bail water, the rudder irons
broke and the vessel was virtually unmanageable. Johnson gave instructions to the crew and passengers and guided the ship to port at Cluna, Mexico for repairs. The passengers later wrote a letter to the shipping company praising the captain, "As you may suppose we feel a strong pride in the courage he displayed and the honor which his almost unparalleled exploits reflect upon himself and his countrymen." l2 Many Canadians were impressed by the mild weather in California and the scenery around San Francisco and other areas. T. Rolph Tisdale described the entrance to San Francisco as "the entrance is very beautiful similar to that of St. John's River, New Brunswick at the falls." The streets of the city were a surprise to Canadians from farms and small towns. They commented on gambling and the frantic activity of people in the city. Tisdale wrote:
The town is thronged with men-I can hardly describe it-only imagine a city of 30,000 inhabitants built up in two years and the greater part burnt down three times-there are houses here and built of brie-the gambling houses equal everything for expense you ever saw. I only visited .-__ about ten, which were fitted up in the most costly manner, with snug rooms from fifty to sixty feet wide and about ninety deep with a bar, the entire length, and tables in the centre for gambling. I took a general survey, and should think I saw from $500,000 to $600,000 spread on the tables, besides what were in the boxes. The population resemble a hive of bees, or a lot of ants, tumbling over one another with something in their hands . . .'3
Tisdale was lodging at a Temperance House in the city in October, 1850, looking forward to exploring the country and becoming familiar with the people. The prices of goods and rents were incredible in the first few years. Speculation in property was common and drove up rents.
Many Canadians lived in tents that were set up in every available space throughout the city. Nathaniel Hammond of Prescott left for California in February 1848 with J. W. Johnston and H.O. Burritt wrote:
I can scarcely give you any idea of the state of things here. Rents of property and prices of real estate are beyond all reason. Lots 20 feet square on the business streets sell from $10,000 to $ 15,000 .. . The great draw-back to the country is the want of vegetables. Potatoes are worth here is 10 '/; d (or s) per lb., onions 3s per Ib., butter 5s, milk 5s per bottle and lumber $200 per M.M
There were a large number of Canadians who made their way to California and it appears from various letters that a sense of community developed between them. H. A. Jones from Brockville wrote home discussing the other Canadians who were in the area. "Jimmy Johnson, who was in the employ of McPherson & Co., is doing well, he is keeping a hotel in San Francisco. I have not heard anything of Charles Glasford, or Capt. Johnson. Clark, Mathie, O"Neil, Davies and Thompson (From Toronto) are together at Stanislaw and are doing well. Clark and Davies were in the city while I was there, but I did not know il until after they left, you may fancy that I was grieved at not seeing them. I met in the city (Morrison), a brother of the member from Toronto, and Cronk who was formerly of the firm of Skae and Cronk of Oshawa; it was them who told me of Clark being in the city, as they stopped with them. I have met more than 50 young men from Canada." "
A correspondent to the Toronto Examiner identified as "G" stated, "I must tell you that in this land we Canadians possess all the clannishness of the South for each other. The feeling you could only understand if you came here. Those of us that have not met since my arrival have agreed should we ever return to our native land, to meet at some part of it, and have a general congratulation . . ." lfi
Gold mining was difficult work. Miners searched for gold in rivers or streams using bowls, pans, and woven Indian baskets to separate the gold particles from sand. It was said that every bowl, tray, warming pan or any other container which could sift gold went to the mines. A device called a cradle was also used. A cradle was a crude machine on rockers, six or eight feet long, open at the foot and at the head was a coarse sieve. Several men were required to operate the cradle. The sieve kept out coarse stones, the water current took away the earth and the gravel was carried to the foot of the machine leaving the gold mixed with black sand. The sand and gold were drawn off into a pan and dried and the gold separated. Dry digging meant searching for gold in deep gorges and ravines. Pits were dug ten feet square and deep. It was necessary to remove layers of mould and sandy clay by pickaxes, crowbars and shovels to reach gold which was mixed in the earth. The miner
laid at the bottom of the pit and used a sheath knife to pick the earth and separate the gold particles. The miner was exposed to the blazing sun of the day and the cool breeze of the night and diseases such as ague and camp fever killed many miners. There was also rising levels of robbery and violence throughout the mining districts.
Some Canadians were optimistic about the search for gold while others became pessimistic. Noah Holt, originally from Aylmer, left Iowa on April 13, 1850, crossed the mountains by ox-cart and reached California on October 7th after seeing hundreds of dead horses and cattle along the route. Holt worked with a partner who had made $J2,000 in two months in the gold fields. He wrote to his parents:
The gold digging are as good as ever, there is plenty of gold, but it takes a great deal of hard work, to get it. Those who have a mind to work can do well, although some have better luck than others, and will average from $50 to $75 a day, while others close to them will not get $10 a day. My partner and self have now been at work two weeks and have made $400, which is as well as those working near us. If the season should be dry as it is expected, I shall dig gold all winter and if so, I shall have all that I want by next fall and then I will come home . . ."
Alexander McAuley from Kingston sent his mother a parcel from San Francisco in October, 1849 with about forty ounces of gold dust, a ten dollar gold piece and gold to be presented in his name to the Kingston Mechanics Institute.
Some Canadians did very well in the gold fields. Mr. Sampson came from Hamilton, C.W. in March, 1849 or 1850, went to the mines and made about $6,000 digging, came to San Francisco, speculated and made about $2,000 and lost it, and then were able to make $15,000. W. R. Lount was the son of the famous 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion leader Samuel Lount. Lount was described as "being a thorough business man, has accumulated in a short space of time a sum of money that astonishes one. He is reported to be worth $300,000 and although this sum is beyond the fact, he assures me that he is actually worth considerably over $100,000." "
Many Canadians were enthusiastic about the business opportunities outside of mining such as farming, shipping, land sales and various store enterprises. There was a feeling that if a man worked hard he would be successful and return home with a good amount of money. Wilson Hatch, formerly a chair-maker in Kingston, was most enthusiastic about the energy and enterprise in California. Hatch settled in Sacramento and became active in the Masonic order and other activities, he wrote:
The fame of the mineral and agricultural productions of California has long since ceased to have a mere local existence, yet the name of no other country is heard and
discanted upon in all quarters of the earth to the same extent as that of California; whilst every nation has its representatives among us, to explore the wonders of this golden land. We can evidently discern in all this a mysterious Providence which will tend to enlighten and educate the uncivilized world. We might see in the stimulus of a passion for gold, a key to unlock the slumbering faculties of ignorant and superstitious minds .. . You say that my letters, as published in the "British Whig" have induced many young men to leave Canada for California and Australia ..."
Nathaniel Hammond of Prescott, C.W., described his less successful fortunes in a letter of September 29, 1849.
I arrived at the Mines on the 26th June, and on the 28th of the month went to work with pick, shovel and pan. The first day three of us made about $4. We continued to work very industriously beginning after sunrise and continuing till sunset for five weeks, during which
time our receipts did not average $4 per day, when Burritt withdrew from the party and came down here where I was to meet him in a few days as soon as my legs were sufficiently well, Johnson commenced sinking a hole, and paid a man to work in my place, in this hole we had great success, not getting less than $10 any one day, and as high as $200 per day each, and in eight days we got $2,500 out of the hole to be divided by four. This was an extraordinary piece of luck. However, when our expenses of boarding and expenses of a man $ 10 per day are deducted, it reduces it considerably, shows a good balance in favor of the laborer. After the hole was exhausted, I left this place to see if I could get something to do here that would pay, as working in the mines did not agree with my poisoned leg, which laid me up more or less all the time I was at the mines. I therefore very reluctantly came to the conclusion that the best way for me was to abandon the mines, and try my luck at something else . . ."w
Hammond hoped to continue mining with his cousin in the future as soon as his health was restored.
William Muirhead and his uncle Alex McClaren from Lanark County, C.W., started their mining at _____ "Foster's Bar," on the Yuba River, thirty-1–––~two miles from Marysville. After only about eight days at the mines, Muirhead became severely ill and was in bed for five weeks. Muirhead slowly recovered, but McClaren was stricken with inflammation of the bowels and despite all attempts to save him, passed away on Sept. 7, 1852. Muirhead returned to Canada shortly after the death of his friend and published an account of the death of his friend in a local newspaper. The Toronto Examiner of December 20, 1854 reports the death of Ambrose Gorham of typhoid fever in San Francisco. The obituary notice points out Gorham was a lawyer from Toronto who had the esteem of his fellow lawyers and friends."
The story of George Stead is perhaps representative of many Canadians who went to California. He spent part of his life in Canada and part in the United States. Stead left New York on April 1, 1852 via Cape Horn for San Francisco. His trip was filled with winter storms and ships in distress. He reached San Francisco on September 1 and boarded a steamer for Marysville and Sacramento and the gold fields. Stead spent three years in the mining districts and returned by walking across the Isthmus of Panama. He discovered enough gold to purchase sawmills and flourmills on the Mississippi River at Dalhousie Lake, Lanark County, C.W. He operated these mills for twenty years until they were heavily damaged by fire. Stead sold the remainder of this property and went to North Dakota in 1880. He purchased land north of Grand Fork and remained there until his death some twenty-one years later.
Many Canadians worked in the mining fields for a period of time and took their earnings to start businesses or acquired farms in California. Some Canadians have American connections in California and other states dating back to the time family members left for California. Others returned to Canada with small or large fortunes or their capital exhausted. An unknown number died from disease or exposure far from their homes. The letters of these Canadians from the California gold rush make for fascinating reading. The exodus of Canadians to the California Gold fields is an important but largely ignored part of Canadian history.