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Days of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the American Nation
On the morning of January 24, 1848, James W. Marshall discovered gold in California. The news spread across the continent, launching hundreds of ships and hitching a thousand prairie schooners filled with adventurers in search of heretofore unimagined wealth. Those who joined the procession—soon called 49ers—included the wealthy and the poor from every state and territory, including slaves brought by their owners. In numbers, they represented the greatest mass migration in the history of the Republic.
In this first comprehensive history of the Gold Rush, Malcolm J. Rohrbough demonstrates that in its far-reaching repercussions, it was the most significant event in the first half of the nineteenth century. No other series of events between the Louisiana Purchase and the Civil War produced such a vast movement of people; called into question basic values of marriage, family, work, wealth, and leisure; led to so many varied consequences; and left such vivid memories among its participants.
Through extensive research in diaries, letters, and other archival sources, Rohrbough uncovers the personal dilemmas and confusion that the Gold Rush brought. His engaging narrative depicts the complexity of human motivation behind the event and reveals the effects of the Gold Rush as it spread outward in ever-widening circles to touch the lives of families and communities everywhere in the United States. For those who joined the 49ers, the decision to go raised questions about marital obligations and family responsibilities. For those men—and women, whose experiences of being left behind have been largely ignored until now—who remained on the farm or in the shop, the absences of tens of thousands of men over a period of years had a profound impact, reshaping a thousand communities across the breadth of the American nation.
In this first comprehensive history of the Gold Rush, Malcolm J. Rohrbough demonstrates that in its far-reaching repercussions, it was the most significant event in the first half of the nineteenth century. No other series of events between the Louisiana Purchase and the Civil War produced such a vast movement of people; called into question basic values of marriage, family, work, wealth, and leisure; led to so many varied consequences; and left such vivid memories among its participants.
Through extensive research in diaries, letters, and other archival sources, Rohrbough uncovers the personal dilemmas and confusion that the Gold Rush brought. His engaging narrative depicts the complexity of human motivation behind the event and reveals the effects of the Gold Rush as it spread outward in ever-widening circles to touch the lives of families and communities everywhere in the United States. For those who joined the 49ers, the decision to go raised questions about marital obligations and family responsibilities. For those men—and women, whose experiences of being left behind have been largely ignored until now—who remained on the farm or in the shop, the absences of tens of thousands of men over a period of years had a profound impact, reshaping a thousand communities across the breadth of the American nation.
569 pages, Hardcover
First published April 30, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 4, 2017
Some strike it rich, some just strike out
Every school kid knows that gold was found in California in 1848. If you ever sang "Clementine", you remember the words "lived a miner, forty-niner". But how much else about that episode in 19th century American history have you really thought about? I recently read a good novel, "Bitter Passage", about the harrowing trip across country taken by so many of the Argonauts of those days. Like that novel, Rohrbough's book does not wax eloquent about the fortunes made by gold miners. Only a few people really managed to come home with the prize. Mining in the creeks and rivers of California was no joke; it involved tough, unending toil over months with no guarantee that you would wind up with more than a pittance. Due to the sudden influx of thousands of hopefuls, goods and labor became scarce and extremely high-priced, so though gold mining might have paid more than farm labor or small-time shopkeeping back East, the cost of everything more or less negated the gains. Many of those who headed to California "saw the elephant" but also saw that profit might lie more easily in providing goods and services to the mining mobs. Even that did not always pay off. DAYS OF GOLD is based largely on the letters and diaries of numerous participants in the Gold Rush gleaned from libraries and historical societies in 14 states; a research job which couldn't have been easy. Turning the disparate sources into a flowing narrative was even harder, I imagine. Government reports, travel stories, and other sources are used as well. The chapters are organized topically rather than chronologically. The author has not neglected to mention the role of women, the situation back in the home towns of the gold seekers, the effects on miners' families, the disappointments which were more common than the successes, the violence against Indians and non-American miners, life and leisure in the gold fields, the effect of new money and lost population on the East, and a host of other, interesting topics. Well-organized and easily read, this book of social and economic history is both informative and a pleasure to read.
Every school kid knows that gold was found in California in 1848. If you ever sang "Clementine", you remember the words "lived a miner, forty-niner". But how much else about that episode in 19th century American history have you really thought about? I recently read a good novel, "Bitter Passage", about the harrowing trip across country taken by so many of the Argonauts of those days. Like that novel, Rohrbough's book does not wax eloquent about the fortunes made by gold miners. Only a few people really managed to come home with the prize. Mining in the creeks and rivers of California was no joke; it involved tough, unending toil over months with no guarantee that you would wind up with more than a pittance. Due to the sudden influx of thousands of hopefuls, goods and labor became scarce and extremely high-priced, so though gold mining might have paid more than farm labor or small-time shopkeeping back East, the cost of everything more or less negated the gains. Many of those who headed to California "saw the elephant" but also saw that profit might lie more easily in providing goods and services to the mining mobs. Even that did not always pay off. DAYS OF GOLD is based largely on the letters and diaries of numerous participants in the Gold Rush gleaned from libraries and historical societies in 14 states; a research job which couldn't have been easy. Turning the disparate sources into a flowing narrative was even harder, I imagine. Government reports, travel stories, and other sources are used as well. The chapters are organized topically rather than chronologically. The author has not neglected to mention the role of women, the situation back in the home towns of the gold seekers, the effects on miners' families, the disappointments which were more common than the successes, the violence against Indians and non-American miners, life and leisure in the gold fields, the effect of new money and lost population on the East, and a host of other, interesting topics. Well-organized and easily read, this book of social and economic history is both informative and a pleasure to read.
February 2, 2013
Decent history on an interesting topic. The book draws almost entirely on primary material - particularly journals and letters but also some newspapers. As such it offers some unique insight but is weaker on the big picture context. The author also retreads some of the same ground at times, making it a bit longer than it needed to be.
June 16, 2014
Lots of detail from first-hand accounts and organized in a very systematic fashion. I especially appreciated the close-up view of the 49ers daily life. Whereas many Gold Rush "overview" books spend most of their time detailing the journey to the gold fields, Rohrbough spent a considerable amount of pages illustrating life in the camps.
September 9, 2017
This book is going to be invaluable for my research for my work-in-progress. It had a lot of information about the emotional impact for both the 49ers and the families they left behind when they followed the dream of quick riches in California. For most, this dream was elusive, and I appreciated how this book addressed the ways men dealt with their failures.
November 8, 2022
Good history of the Gold Rush days, with many quotes from the Argonauts' personal journals and letters home. It may be a bit over-long for general readers, and the book starts out written in academic style. But once I got used to the author's style I was pretty happy. If you have an interest in the "Days of '49" you should give this one a try. If you start bogging down, just skim ahead to his next topic, is my advice. 3.5 stars, recommended reading.
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April 9, 20204.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews