A Year in the Life of a Gold Miner
Gold Fever: On August 19th, 1848, the New York Herald was the first major newspaper on the East Coast to print the news of the California Gold Rush, giving elaborate details of the large amounts of gold just under the surface of California soil that only had to be dug up by willing miners. The news spread like wildfire, often with exaggerated and colorful details of gold discoveries, and with it, the flame of gold fever also spread and burned in many the desire for the get-rich-quick heaven of the California gold fields. Many left homes, businesses, and families and clamored their way to California.
Passage: In 1849, an estimated 90,000 or more miners flooded into California by land and sea from the United States, Canada, Mexico, and many countries in South America; they came from Asia, Ireland, and the Sandwich Islands. Gold seekers (called forty-niners) used overland trails, rivers, and an overland crossing of the Isthmus of Panama, and the newly invented steam ship helped to speed miners toward California. Merchant ships flooded San Francisco Bay and the harbor became a forest of masts as sailors deserted their ships for the gold fields.
Mining: For early miners, gold could be found easily by panning and simple methods, but as more and more of the gold was extracted, miners had to use sluice boxes and rockers, and finding gold became more and more infrequent. Some found gold totaling $200,000 or more, but in all, less than 1% of the miners ever struck it rich.
Daily living: Miners would work dawn to dusk in the icy cold river or digging in trenches of mud. Cleanliness was not a priority and many times not even a possibility. The food of the miner consisted mainly of flour (to make flat bread), coffee, beans, and dried meat. Because of malnutrition, scurvy was rampant among miners. Luxury vegetables such as potatoes and onions could cost up to a dollar a piece. Most miners took Sundays and holidays off to rest, mend, read, write letters, or go into town for some entertainment. Gambling houses, taverns and saloons sprung up in boom towns all over California and the gold fields became the gambling, drinking capital of America, and many miners turned to these vices because of the disappointment of the mining prospects.
The Real Eureka: Although Gold Fever is what drove most people to California, mining was not a very profitable endeavor. The real money in California was earned by property owners, shopkeepers, tavern owners, and those who sold food to the miners. Many miners did not have the time or skill to prepare their own food, so buying meals was very common. Breakfast in the gold fields cost 10 times of the cost back East. Because of the demand, miners would pay fortunes for traveling fares, supplies and tools like clothing, shovels and mining gear. The miners got poorer and these merchants and businessmen got richer.
Passage: In 1849, an estimated 90,000 or more miners flooded into California by land and sea from the United States, Canada, Mexico, and many countries in South America; they came from Asia, Ireland, and the Sandwich Islands. Gold seekers (called forty-niners) used overland trails, rivers, and an overland crossing of the Isthmus of Panama, and the newly invented steam ship helped to speed miners toward California. Merchant ships flooded San Francisco Bay and the harbor became a forest of masts as sailors deserted their ships for the gold fields.
Mining: For early miners, gold could be found easily by panning and simple methods, but as more and more of the gold was extracted, miners had to use sluice boxes and rockers, and finding gold became more and more infrequent. Some found gold totaling $200,000 or more, but in all, less than 1% of the miners ever struck it rich.
Daily living: Miners would work dawn to dusk in the icy cold river or digging in trenches of mud. Cleanliness was not a priority and many times not even a possibility. The food of the miner consisted mainly of flour (to make flat bread), coffee, beans, and dried meat. Because of malnutrition, scurvy was rampant among miners. Luxury vegetables such as potatoes and onions could cost up to a dollar a piece. Most miners took Sundays and holidays off to rest, mend, read, write letters, or go into town for some entertainment. Gambling houses, taverns and saloons sprung up in boom towns all over California and the gold fields became the gambling, drinking capital of America, and many miners turned to these vices because of the disappointment of the mining prospects.
The Real Eureka: Although Gold Fever is what drove most people to California, mining was not a very profitable endeavor. The real money in California was earned by property owners, shopkeepers, tavern owners, and those who sold food to the miners. Many miners did not have the time or skill to prepare their own food, so buying meals was very common. Breakfast in the gold fields cost 10 times of the cost back East. Because of the demand, miners would pay fortunes for traveling fares, supplies and tools like clothing, shovels and mining gear. The miners got poorer and these merchants and businessmen got richer.