page_title: Women in the California Gold Rush
hierarchical_section_title: Women in the California Gold Rush
caption_attribution_description: English: &#160; Author/Creator: Bradley &amp; Rulofson. Part of: Carl Mautz collection of cartes-de-visite photographs created by California photographers. Physical Description: 1 photographic print cartes-de-visite, b&amp;w approx. 9.0 x 5.7 cm. on mounts 10.7 x 6.5 cm. Folder or box number: Folder Bradley &amp; Rulofson Subjects: Asian Americans--Pictorial subjects. Genre/Form: Photographs Cartes-de-visite Photographic prints Studio portraits Cite as: Yale Collection of Western Americana, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Repository: Beinecke Rare Book &amp; Manuscript Library, Yale University Bibliographic Record Number: 2015087 Call Number: WA Photos 357 View our Record: Permalink Flickr data on 2011-08-25: License: CC BY-SA 2.0 User: Beinecke Library
context_page_description: Women in the California Gold Rush, which began in Northern California in 1848, initially included Spanish descendants, or Californios, who already lived in California, Native American women, and rapidly arriving immigrant women from all over the world. At first, the numbers of immigrant women were scarce, but they contributed to their community nonetheless. Some of the first people in the mining fields were wives and families who were already in California. A few settler women and kids and the few men who didn't leave their family worked right alongside the men but most men who arrived left their wives and families home. The number of women in California changed very quickly as the rich gold strikes and lack of women created strong pressures in the new Gold Rush communities to restore sex balance. As travel arrangements improved and were made easier and more predictable the number of women coming to California rapidly increased. Most women probably came by way of Panama as this was one of the fastest trips and one of the most reliable—although expensive in 1850--$400–$600/person one-way.
context_section_description: Women in the California Gold Rush, which began in  Northern California in 1848, initially included Spanish descendants, or Californios, who already lived in California,  Native American women, and rapidly arriving immigrant women from all over the world.    At first,  the numbers of immigrant women were scarce, but they contributed to their community nonetheless. Some of the first people in the mining fields were wives and families who were already in California. A few settler women and kids and the few men who didn't leave their family worked right alongside the men but most men who arrived left their wives and families home. The number of women in California changed very quickly as the rich gold strikes and lack of women created strong pressures in the new Gold Rush communities to restore sex balance. As travel arrangements improved and were made easier and more predictable the number of women coming to California rapidly increased. Most women probably came by way of Panama as this was one of the fastest trips (40–90 days) and one of the most reliable—although expensive in 1850--$400–$600/person one-way. Passage via Panama became much more predictable after the paddle wheel steam ship lines were up and running by late 1849. In Ireland, the Great Potato Famine was a period of mass starvation, disease and emigration between 1845 and 1852 that drove many desperate women to the United States and on to California. It was very depressing and very discouraging.
  Women of many different continents, statuses, classes, and races were involved in the California Gold Rush. The fast-increasing population had very few women in it and what women there were found myriads of opportunities. As word of the gold rush spread so did the word of opportunities for women to work in the women's poor goldfields and communities.
  Women going to California to rejoin their families usually had their passages paid for by miners or businessmen who had decided to make California their new home. Most of the men had originally planned to get their gold, return to their homes and families, and enjoy their new riches. Typically women euphemistically labeled as entertainers had little or no money for passage but as soon as they showed up in California they were hired by various saloons, gambling halls, dance halls, peep shows and/or brothels. The cost of passage was typically paid for by the entertainer agreeing to work for the payees for at least three to six months. These entertainers initially were the majority of the female population. Very few of these entertainers made the five- to six-month trip by wagon on the California Trail or chose the five- to seven-month all sea journey around Cape Horn.
  As the gold mining and associated businesses prospered, many men decided to make California their new home and many husbands or potential husbands sent money back to their original homes for their women and families to join them. Others went back east to wind up their business there and escort their women and families to California. Many single men started communicating with female acquaintances they knew and many proposals were accepted with this long-distance dating. In some cases, it would take 60 days for a letter to go from California via Panama to a city in the east and another 40-60 days for a reply, so this was ’slow’ courting.  If these long-distance proposals were accepted, the prospective groom, i.e. a successful miner or businessman, sent money for passage. Usually, as soon as the prospective bride got off the ship they were rushed to a preacher to get married. Most single women in California quickly had several proposals for marriage.  As time went on, the ever-increasing immigration of more women and families started changing the composition of the female population and the entertainers soon became outnumbered.
  There were many opportunities for women in the cities and goldfields as men, starved for female company, paid extravagant fees to associate with women or buy products that were made by women. There are several stories of women making more m
caption: Carte de Visite photograph of a Chinese woman, California
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