ADDENDA. THE DISCOVERY OF GOLD.

There are conflicting accounts as to who was the real discoverer of gold in California. Long before its actual existence was known the country was pictured as a marvelous Eldorado. As early as 1524 Cortes was given a dazzling description of a “wonderful island in the Pacific exceedingly rich in pearls and gold.” Drake said in his journal, “the country seems to promise rich veins of gold.” The native Indians claimed that gold existed among the streams, and in 1766 Jonathan Carver wrote with a spirit of prophecy that “probably in the future ages the land may be found to contain more riches in their bowels than those of Indostan.” So account after account is given premising the existence of the precious mineral, until in 1847 Capt. Charles Bennett discovered gold near Sutter’s mill, while there in partnership with James W. Marshall, who has since been credited as its discoverer. Bennett has a marble shaft standing in the Odd Fellows’ cemetery at Salem, Ore., stating that he was the “Discoverer of Gold in California, and Fell in the Defense of His Country at Walla Walla,” in 1855, fighting the Indians. Marshall has a more pretentious statue at Coloma, Cal., proclaiming him as the discoverer of the yellow nugget that started the stream of golden wealth from the Pacific slope, which was to pour into the channels of trade in the United States until nearly two billion of dollars can be traced to the beginning of the hardy Argonauts who panned the first free gold. This story would not be complete without mention of the fact that another claimant as discoverer of the precious mineral was a young woman by the name of Emma Bonney, who was spending the winter of 1845-6 in the vicinity of Sutter’s port. As the United States had not then acquired a title to the country, her discovery was not heralded abroad and nothing came of it.

Until 1847 California had remained a part of Mexico, and was very sparsely settled. At that time, with the exception of a small settlement of Mormons established by Brigham Young in July, 1847, on the shore of Salt Lake, Utah, the country between the Missouri line, near Fort Independence, and the Sacramento valley, a distance of more than two thousand miles, was an almost unbroken wilderness, without civilized inhabitants, and spoken of as the “Great American Desert.” As every schoolboy knows, or ought to know, Col. John C. Fremont was the real conqueror of California, and immediately the treaty was signed, which made it a part of the United States, the discovery of gold was proclaimed to the world, and instantaneously the invasion began.

Not alone to Fremont and the Gold Seekers belongs the entire credit of conquering California and transforming it into a wonderland. Before the doughty Pathfinder had found his way hither the sloop of war Portsmouth, built at the Kittery navy yard just opposite of the city, whose name the gallant vessel was to bear, in 1843. She sailed from Portsmouth December 9, 1844, to join the squadron of Commodore J. D. Sloat in the Pacific, where she arrived in season to participate in the Mexican War. On July 9, 1846, her crew under command of Lieut. J. S. Missroon, landed at Yerba, Buena, as San Francisco was then known, and took possession of the town, raising for the first time, the American flag over California.

Not all of the Gold Seekers of ’49 went overland, as Mr. Webster and his party did. Considerable debating was done at the time as to which was the best route; around Cape Horn with its storms and vicissitudes, to say nothing of the longer period of time required to make the passage; across the Isthmus of Panama, with its vexatious delays and constant dangers from tropical diseases; or by the Overland Trail, which seemed to promise a more speedy arrival at the destination, though that was fraught with great peril from hostile redmen and the hardships of crossing an unknown country.

While naturally of a different experience the story of those who went to the Land of Gold around Cape Horn is not less interesting than that of those who performed the tedious and terrible trip across the plains. Besides the perils of the deep to be met and overcome were the sufferings from scurvy and other complaints belonging to a life on the sea in those days. After all those who fared worse were the ones who tried the middle route to find themselves stranded in a tropical country unable to find ways and means of crossing the stretch of land lying between the oceans. Some tried the journey on foot, to perish by the way or reach the western shore, only to find themselves no better off as far as continuing their course to the hoped-for Eldorado; many were finally obliged to seek passage on some homeward-bound ship, without having realized their dreams.

Whichever way they went, upon their arrival in the gold fields the mines proved a wonderful leveler of the classes of men. No distinction of rank was known there. Lawyers, doctors, ministers, men who wore kid gloves and tall hats in the East, were glad to dig in the trenches with the lowliest of laborers, all working for the same reward, the golden talisman of fortune. Unable for any reason, to succeed in the mines, some sought other ways of earning a living, if not a fortune, and so the schoolmaster sawed firewood, the erstwhile judge of an eastern court catered to a hungry crowd, while some business man performed the part of a cook, so wild were the pranks fate played upon these fortune-seekers. But if few came back rich, as wealth is reckoned, all helped to found in power and prestige the glory of the Pacific Slope.

Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber:

is told in=> are told in {pg 9} forms one of the=> form one of the {pg 9} cabins beeing seen=> cabins being seen {pg 31} made an ineffiectual=> made an ineffectual {pg 34} continuel to fill=> continued to fill {pg 36} becoming more accustimed=> becoming more accustomed {pg 42} on the prarie=> on the prairie {pg 48} caused our misfortunte=> caused our misfortune {pg 70} Feeling sowewhat=> Feeling somewhat {pg 72} precipitous moutain=> precipitous mountain {pg 93} pay of the winers=> pay of the miners {pg 101} were buiding a dam=> were building a dam {pg 108} had not succeed=> had not succeeded {pg 109} Physician’s charges=> Physicians’ charges {pg 110} point of exploson=> point of explosion {pg 125} CHAPER VII.=> CHAPTER VII. {pg 137} but unforunately=> but unfortunately {pg 145} use the portractor=> use the protractor {pg 151} something about portracting=> something about protracting {pg 151} preceptibly turned=> perceptibly turned {pg 152} suddely come=> suddenly come {pg 153} excruiating pains=> excruciating pains {pg 166} Pacific mail steam-=> Pacific mail steamer. {pg 189} I might thing it=> I might think it {pg 195} topograpical object=> topographical object {pg 203} we hade made=> we had made {pg 206} All stream considered navigable=> All streams considered navigable {pg 207}