Chile Peru and the California Gold Rush of 1849

by Jay Monaghan

The participation in Gold Rush of the South Americans has never received adequate attention. Yet the Chilena and Peruvian gold seekers arrived months ahead of the forty-niners, and were mostly experienced miners who set about teaching the late-arriving "Anglos" how to pan for gold and how to dig mine shafts. Chilean and Peruvian ports became important way stations for ships coming around the Horn, as well as major outfitting ports for expeditions starting from South America. Within a few months, however, Chilean and Peruvian miners were being pushed off their claims, and a major anti-Chilean riot exploded in San Francisco.

312 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1973