The Quest For Fortune in Antebellum America
The California gold rush of the mid-nineteenth century was an event which exemplified the eager American spirit of the time. Not long after word spread of the discovery of gold near the lower Sacramento Valley in 1848, thousands of hopefuls from the world over rushed to California with dreams of finding their fortune. This rush led to exponential expansion of the California economy, with prices reaching new heights and homes sprouting as quickly as they could be built. Edward Gould Buffum, and army lieutenant, was one such individual who experienced success in his endeavors. He wrote a narrative of his quest for gold published in 1850, entitled Six Months in the Gold Mines. This book was intended for a public audience, and might have been read by anyone interested in California and the gold rush. In the excerpts from this book printed in America Firsthand, Buffum details parts of his quest, and describes certain procedures for obtaining gold. He discusses different techniques of mining, and how the gold is naturally accumulated in the sources from which it is mined. Buffum describes several specific sites where he found success, and the genuine excitement he felt upon discovery. In the la
I threw down my pickaxe, and leaving a half-wrought crevice for some other digger to work out, I packed up and held myself in readiness to proceed by the earliest opportunity, and with the first party ready to go for the Middle Fork In Buffum we see an example of the human spirits inability to be satisfied. Buffum writes of the influence of an outside report, About this time, the most extravagant reports reached us from the Middle ForkParties who had been there described the river as being lined with gold of the finest quality. The acquisition of gold was not always easy, as Buffum writes: We had no facilities for constructing a machine, and no money to buy oneand besides, all the bars upon which men were then engaged in labor were claimed. This innate human quality was a key ingredient in the mass hysteria and excitement surrounding the gold rush. In this book Buffum encompasses concrete facts among his personal stories, including information relating to science and economics. The gold rush brought upon many economic changes to the cities of Sacramento and San Francisco, outlined by Buffum in the last excerpt. A more complete picture would be obtained upon the study of several other works of Americans involved in the gold rush, especially those with experiences contrary to those of Buffum. Buffum remarks, "Life began to be rendered comfortable. " He also notes, "Gambling, in all its forms, was carried on to an enormous extent, and money, as before, was almost as plentiful as the sea-sands. Fortune was not found by everyone, and it would be useful to compare stories of failure with stories of success such as Buffum's. This book might have been used as a "field guide" or "manual" for a fortune-seeker of the time. Buffums descriptions are conclusive that fruit was not obtained without extreme patience and undying will. He educates the ignorant reader to certain terminology related to mining, and describes the rocking machine used to extract the precious gold. We learn that the quest for gold did not typically involve extended stationary settlements, but rather a nomadic trial and error system of camping and traveling from site to site by ox-wagon. Of the scene at the Yuba River he writes, About one hundred men, in miners costume, were at work, performing the various portions of the labour necessary in digging the earth and working a rocking machine.
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