The California Gold Rush: A Guide to the California Gold Rush

Discusses the events surrounding the nineteenth-century gold rush in California, the livestyles of miners and mining towns, and the methods used to extract gold

Journey by Land to California The smell of freshly crushed grass and wet earth filled the cool morning air as thousands of rattling wagons etched ruts into the rolling green vastness of the prairie. An endless blue sky highlighted the drama of the day in the spring of 1849 as mules and oxen bellowed out to their drivers, who were in turn shouting a variety of unique commands encouraging their teams to pull the heavily loaded rigs. A wagon stuck to the axle in a muddy bog from a rainstorm the night before was hardly noticed as company leaders rerouted their lineups on both sides of the trail creating new ones. A dog chased a small rodent between a wagon's iron-hooped, wooden wheels as a young woman walking with a friend commented that the eternal line of wagons looked like ships on an ocean of grass. Another emigrant riding his horse and fearful of Indians checked the grease packed barrels of the ball and cap revolver he recently purchased. The smoke of thickly cut fried bacon from a late starter drifted in the breeze. While each day blended in with the next, so continued the epic journey of the gold seeking adventurers who became known as the Forty-Niners.