A short summary of the gold rush miners who helped shape the West.
"1845::Map of the Maritime and Overland Routes to California"
Mapmaker: H.N. Burroughs (1845)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
In 1842, gold was discovered in the San Fernando Valley of California, sparking a gradual westward migration to the Pacific Coast of North America. However, it wasn't until 1848, when the Mexican-American War ended and California was annexed to the United States, that California's gold was taken seriously. The Great California Gold Rush began when a substantial amount of gold was discovered near the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers. News of the great strike ignited gold fever among the world's dreamers and fortune seekers, and over the next several years, nearly 300,000 individuals from around the world embarked on a journey to the West, by land or sea, driven by the dream of striking it rich.
"1848::Gold in California!"
Clip: The Californian (1848)
Monterey, California
After nearly a decade of mining in California's scorching heat, the miners received word that a considerable amount of gold had been discovered further north in what would soon become the Colony of British Columbia. As many as 30,000 miners abandoned their lives in California to journey to Victoria on Vancouver Island, the gateway to the Fraser River and its sandy riverbanks full of gold.
"1862::The Cariboo Gold Rush"
Clip: The Weekly Colonist (1862)
Victoria, British Columbia
A fortune was sure to be found in the Colony of British Columbia, but so was a short mining season that presented unexpected challenges the further north the miners ventured up the Fraser River. In 1860, when the Cariboo Gold Rush began, the region's harsh wilderness terrain and freezing temperatures tested even the hardiest miners and forced many to relinquish their dream of striking it rich. Some returned to Vancouver Island to try their luck just north of Sooke, where gold had been discovered along the banks of the Leech River. Other miners returned to the warmth of California, and some didn't return at all. But for those who persevered in the Cariboo Region, a sense of mutual respect emerged among the miners. Over the next decade, unwritten rules, including miners' etiquette and efficient survival skills, were established among the miners in the heart of British Columbia's wilderness.
"1907::A Cheechako Learning How to Bake His First Loaf of Sourdough Bread"
Photo: (tbd)
In 1896, long after British Columbia's early gold rush era had ended, a significant gold strike was discovered in the Yukon District of Canada's Northwest Territories. This discovery surprised everyone and triggered the biggest rush the world had ever seen to the richest and most inaccessible gold on earth. Over the next several years, the Great Klondike Gold Rush lured over one hundred thousand miners, adventurers, journalists, scientists, dreamers, and desperados to Canada's most desolate northern extreme in search of fame or fortune.
"1907::Sourdoughs of the Yukon"
Clip: Vancouver Daily World (1907) Vancouver, British Columbia
Among the motley crew of arctic gold-seekers was a new generation of miners, arriving in the frozen North with nothing more than their supplies and determination, ready to stake their claim. Their excitement was contagious, but their inexperience contrasted with that of the seasoned miners of old who brought their gear, etiquette, mining knowledge, and, most importantly, skills for surviving in the wilderness. For the newcomers, there was a lot to learn.
"1907::From Cheechako to Sourdough"
Clip: Vancouver Daily World (1907)
Vancouver, British Columbia
Cheechako was the name given to all new miners arriving in the Klondike Region who had yet to endure and survive their first Arctic winter. Many of them were coached by old Sourdough Miners on how to bake bread to survive the harsh, cold winter in the North. In every old Sourdough Miner's gear was a bowl that contained a little chunk of soured dough. He would use this small chunk of dough as a source of already-soured yeast to be mixed with the dough of his next loaf of bread. He would replace the exact quantity taken from the bowl with the same amount of fresh dough, which would be soured again when he was ready to bake his next loaf. This never-ending supply of soured dough was a valuable life source for all Klondike gold miners. A Cheechako typically borrowed his first soured dough chunk to get started, but once he knew how to bake his bread and survive his first winter, he had graduated to his elevated title of Sourdough Miner.
"1874::Souring Dough" Clip: Sheffield and Rotherham Independent (1874) Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England