Imperial Valley press., 1922-05-26
THE 49ERS-AN EPOCH

days of gold recalls the thrilling story of the states
history reproduction gripping scenes that
challenged attention of the entire world years ago.
Not even the battle of Bunker Hill stands out
conspcuousy in the that have entered making
in ''l. 40
For this reason revival of memories of that early dav
like reincarnaton to the few who still
vve For this also is of vital importance every
TO oe strIeo ny the ceieoraon at sacramento
to some Study of the thrilling and tragic incidents of that
It is the Judgment of modern historians that what hap
pened then not wholly due to the discovery of gold
the rivers that dash of the Serras most
probably think For it recorded that earlier in the 4os
there good deal of immigration California The
settlement of Oregon had preceded the California rush. due
to laws favorng the peopng of that section of the Pacific
coast. Many of these had the north and
taken advantage of the opportunities offered in such
abundance by the prodlgalty of nature within what
the state of California
But the discovery of gold increased tide nightly,
Tor that discovery the most opuent revelation of the
earths mineral wealth the world has known 1t
January o. 1S48 that James w. Marshall foreman of
gang Of men who were working for Captain Suffer- first
spied the gterng metal for which in all ages
been ready to make every sacrifice They building
mill on the American river and these yellow particles geam
ed IN the water Theywere taken and after crude
test was applied that those unprepared for such work
hea % hey M to be Wa5 ey @ seemed % to
cry secret but it was Of too to be long
graph mail service no radio ho n tbose fee
days, but the spread in mysterious way
at the end of the rainbow and all Cafornans
rainbow and journeyed to its end.
The tales of what ensued are almost beyond belief.
The American river flowed through what literally
valley not OF diamonds but Of gold 1t did not have to be
and about the valley the cleaning gold
nuggets from crevices in the rocks picking up
of pound weight and sometimes of many pounds washing
the dust from the sands and garnerng the precious
anywhere before garnered it, 1t golden
dream golden stream Men who been aught
than suddenly became rich. deserted their
employers to wealthy Day laborers loaded them
selves with gold Ten dollars day comment
thousand dollars day interesting but startling
Meantime the news Of this fabulous find percoat-
ing the big outside world Editor Kemble the California
TO
not be taken seriously Here veritabe Ell Dorado and
the world would find it. From all corners of the globe there
ultimately many thousands ured fancul tales of
gold that literally true So much of the precious metal
was so quickly added to the worlds stock that fnanciers
actually alarmed lest the system be upset
chaos result Scores of millions poured the
currents OF trade 1t if achemsts had at effort
converted the baer metals this previous and dump
ed into the American if by sweep his magic
hand Midas had poured out countless millions.
r this odestone that drew thousands persons 10
California in 49-durng the year following the discover
by James w Marshall at Suffers Mill. 1t is in mem
ory these 49ers that Sacramento celebrates. COM
tory this except journey two and
half millions of Jews in the wilderness 1t is estimated
that there were slightly more than 100 600 who came n
california that On the first Crusade the holy
epucher there fewer than 100000 and the others
smaller Considering the difficulties of travel in 40
and the known but certain pcrils to be encountered it
tremendous movement of people.
To American citizens there the choice of three
routes They could by ship around Cape Horn They
could ship the Isthmus of Panama thence
that neck of land and by ship again on the Pacific side OR
they could by land the of
and the almost nsuTmounabe mountain barriers that
nterposed themselves the western rim Of the continent
The larger number by the two southern routes but
all about equally Rounding the Horn
endless journey and accompanied by corresponding
peris Steamships few in those days And crossing
the sthmus adventure of the most dangerous kind
The scorcng climate, the unbeaten path, the malaral
atmosphere struck down the wanderers like flies Graves
and tears every mile of the The
trek through the desert bv somewhat varying and dvergng
succession of hardshps and suffering difficult
to imagine after the Towering and watered plains of the
midwest passed The frownng mountains and the
jogov+ ckpdth hor6 ra6Hlp
Twenty thousand graves constituted the death warrant
traced the face Of 1t said that canniba
ism was known desperate the straits Of
forunates. But than hundred thousand according
to estimates reached the promised land very many
of whom remained help establish here what is the
the Union