This article didn't quite jell into a coherent whole, and should probably be re-written from scratch at some point in the future, so I'll just leave it alone for now.
Names on the Signs: Gold! (originally published October 6, 2011)
The three most important events of 19th century California
history occurred within a four-year span from 1846 to 1850. First was the
Mexican-American War of 1846-48. The third, California
statehood, came in 1850 and was a direct result of the war. In between those
two came the most important of the three - the unexpected discovery of gold in
the Sierra Nevada foothills. At the beginning of 1848, the
non-Indian population of California
was estimated to be about 12,000. The first U.S.
census, in 1850, counted over 92,000. Most of that increase can be attributed
to the California
Gold Rush.
As always, bucolicSanta Cruz was
out of the main currents of these events. The most immediate local effect was
the sudden departure of many residents for the gold fields. The local economy
must have ground to a halt as so many (mostly) young males left their jobs,
farms and families for the chance to “strike it rich”. Most of those would-be
gold miners soon returned, disillusioned and broke. At least one never returned
at all. Michael Lodge, co-owner of Rancho Soquel, disappeared on his return
journey and was presumed murdered by bandits.
Some locals reasoned that, if there was gold in the rivers flowing out of theSierra
Nevada , there might be also be gold in local creeks. Prospecting
commenced and, in fact, a few minor discoveries were made on some of the San
Lorenzo River
Other locals found a different kind of gold. There was money to be made by supplying the needs of the hordes of prospectors. William Blackburn, newcomer Robert Cathcart and others planted fields full of potatoes to feed the hungry miners. The flats around today’sBlackburn Street
and Cathcart Street were
once potato fields. Elihu Anthony manufactured mining picks and
built the town’s first wharf to facilitate the shipping of
goods to San Francisco and up the Sacramento
River . Frederick
Hihn, who would later build the city’s most impressive residence, arrived from
Germany in 1851, established a mercantile business and began buying real estate.
Unfortunately, the Gold Rush proved to be just that. Within a few years the gold got harder and harder to find, and the booming economic activity declined rapidly. Many of the miners went (or came) back home. Local farms couldn’t give potatoes away. The fortunate few survived and, despite the downturn, Cathcart, Hihn and some other 49ers stayed.
Another new resident arrived in 1849, but for entirely different reasons. Eliza Farnham was the widow of theNew England writer Thomas
J. Farnham, who made Isaac
Graham famous as the hero of "The
Graham Affair". Farnham later came to
visit Graham at Zayante, and bought a farmstead in
the Potrero area. Upon Farnham’s 1848 death in San
Francisco , Eliza and their children came to live on
the farm. She went on to become a leading abolitionist, novelist and early
feminist.
Further Reading
Farnham, Eliza. California,In-doors and Out (1856) - a chronicle of her experiences inCalifornia .
Hihn, Frederick A. How I Came to As always, bucolic
Some locals reasoned that, if there was gold in the rivers flowing out of the
Other locals found a different kind of gold. There was money to be made by supplying the needs of the hordes of prospectors. William Blackburn, newcomer Robert Cathcart and others planted fields full of potatoes to feed the hungry miners. The flats around today’s
Unfortunately, the Gold Rush proved to be just that. Within a few years the gold got harder and harder to find, and the booming economic activity declined rapidly. Many of the miners went (or came) back home. Local farms couldn’t give potatoes away. The fortunate few survived and, despite the downturn, Cathcart, Hihn and some other 49ers stayed.
Another new resident arrived in 1849, but for entirely different reasons. Eliza Farnham was the widow of the
Further Reading
Farnham, Eliza. California,In-doors and Out (1856) - a chronicle of her experiences in
