Pod Insights American History Tellers FAN FAVORITE: California Gold Rush | The First Strike | 1 About this episode After the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill in 1848, hundreds of thousands of prospectors poured into California, hoping to strike it rich. In the early days, rather than coming from within the U. S., most miners arrived from places like China, Hawaii, Chile, and Australia. But when President James K. Polk confirmed that newspaper reports of vast gold fields were true, it would kick the Gold Rush into high gear, transforming America and establishing California as a place for grand ambitions and big dreams.
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0:00 Lindsay Graham? Audible subscribers can binge new seasons of American History Tellers early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts. We're excited to bring you new seasons on great escapes, legendary shootouts, and maybe the most famous rock in America. But until they're ready, we're revisiting a fan favorite, our series on the California Gold Rush. In May 1848, Sam Brannon walked the streets of San Francisco waving a bottle of glittering dust and shouting about the discovery of gold in the American River. From the moment the first nugget was discovered at Sutter's Mill to the rush that would follow, here is the story of how gold fever changed America forever.
0:51 Lindsay Graham? Imagine it's January 1848. You're a construction worker, building a timber mill in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. Lush pine trees surround you on all sides. It's a bright winter day, but cold. You can smell frying sausages nearby as the cook prepares lunch. Your team is digging a canal to divert water from a local river to power this new mill, and it's nearly complete. You're eager to get the work done. So you continue thrusting your shovel back into the dirt when a strange sight catches your eye. Your boss is about 20 yards away, splashing around frantically in the water running through the canal. At first, it looks like he's lost something important, but when
1:33 Lindsay Graham? he finally stops splashing, all he's holding is a handful of pebbles. Next thing you know, he's down on his knees, pounding on one of the pebbles with a large rock. This gets you too curious. You put down your shovel and walk over. Uh, you need help with anything, boss? He looks up at you, smiling, and opens his palm. Hey, what do you think these are? He holds several yellow nuggets, each about the size of a pea. You study them, frowning. Well, to me, it looks like iron pyrite. Fool's gold, you know? Well, that's what I thought, too. But look at this one. Your boss points, and you see that he's pounded one of the nuggets into a crude coin shape. Well, what does that mean?
2:16 Lindsay Graham? Uh, well, most minerals shatter when they're pounded. Only certain ones flatten out like this. Certain ones, like gold. Oh, I don't know. We could compare. You got anything we know is gold? Your boss reaches into his pocket and pulls out a $5 gold piece. You admit it seems to be the same color, but you're not convinced. And then you remember a supposedly surefire test you heard about once. Well, hold on, wait here. There's a laundry shed nearby. You go inside and pour some pellets of lye into a tin cup. You crush them with a spoon, pour in a little water, and stir. You bring the cup outside where your boss is eyeing you. Now, what are you doing? This is concentrated lye.
3:01 Lindsay Graham? It tarnishes or dissolves most minerals, but it makes gold shinier, I hear. Dump the nuggets in, and let's see. Your boss drops the yellow pebbles, and you take them and the cup over to a nearby cooking fire. Wrap your handkerchief around the handle and hold the cup over the flames. Soon, the water and lye is simmering, and a noxious steam rises up. You try to scoop the nuggets out with a spoon. Oh, God, that stinks. Burning my eyes. Your eyes flush with tears. The nuggets keep slipping off the spoon, but you finally get a few out and peer down. You blink hard, trying to get rid of the tears, but even with your blurry vision, you can see the nuggets sparkling. A shiver runs up your spine.
3:45 Lindsay Graham? You're convinced. Your boss has just discovered gold.
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4:58 Lindsay Graham? From Wondery, I'm Lindsay Graham, and this is American History Tellers. Our history, your story.
5:19 Lindsay Graham? On our show, we take you to the events, the times, and the people that shaped America and Americans, our values, our struggles, and our dreams. We'll put you in the shoes of everyday citizens as history was being made, and we'll show you how the events of the times affected them, their families, and affects you now. In the 1840s, the discovery of gold in Northern California attracted hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world to the rugged Sierra Nevada mountains east of Sacramento. Travelers to the goldfields braved harsh conditions to get there, and once they arrived, they had to contend with con artists, claim jumpers, and primitive, lawless camps. But nothing would deter them. They were driven by a common desire, a lust for unimaginable
6:04 Lindsay Graham? wealth. Some would later describe their obsession as "gold fever," their hunger for gold practically driving them mad, pushing them to risk everything, even their lives, to get their hands on it. Thousands of people did strike it rich in California, but many thousands more ended up even poorer than when they started. Most never found much gold, if any. Among those who did, many gambled or drank away their fortunes almost as quickly as they made them. The California Gold Rush accelerated the nation's expansion west and transformed the geography of America. It established California as a place for grand ambitions and big dreams, a reputation the state retains to this day.
6:45 Lindsay Graham? This is Episode 1 in our four-part series on the California Gold Rush: The First Strike.
6:54 Lindsay Graham? Gold was discovered in California in January 1848 in the forested foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, forty miles east of modern-day Sacramento. It was found near a mill that belonged to John Sutter, a plump, balding rancher and farmer with a thick black mustache. As a young man, Sutter had abandoned a wife and children to move from his native Switzerland to North America to seek his fortune. He eventually landed in California in 1839, when he was part of a vast territory called Alta California, held by the young nation of Mexico. California was home to more than 150,000 Native Americans. But newly arriving Europeans like Sutter merely saw a vast wilderness ripe for cultivation and exploitation.
7:39 Lindsay Graham? Since gaining independence from Spain in 1820, Mexico had done little to develop or populate the land. So when Sutter arrived, Native Americans outnumbered European-American and Mexican settlers ten to one. Because of that sparse population, Mexican authorities welcomed Europeans like Sutter. By 1839, American settlers had already begun encroaching on the region, and Sutter could act as a bulwark against their land grabs. So when Sutter petitioned the Mexican governor of Alta California for land, he received a grant of 48,000 acres, or 75 square miles. In exchange, Sutter only needed to promise to occupy the land for at least a year and to become a Mexican citizen. Sutter's land was in a remote area,
8:24 Lindsay Graham? the junction of the Sacramento and American rivers. At first, he cultivated friendly relations with the local Nishtun and Miwok tribes that were his only neighbors. He dressed Native men in military uniforms and taught them to drill, march, and shoot in exchange for food and other goods. Apart from maintaining this private military force, he mostly left the Nishtun and Miwok to themselves. But as Sutter's ambitions grew, his treatment of the Native Americans became more abusive. Sutter needed a large workforce to construct a fort and other buildings, grow crops, and clear land for his main source of income: cattle ranching. To maintain that workforce, he held hundreds of Nishtun and Miwok against their will in primitive barracks.
9:06 Lindsay Graham? An American settler who visited Sutter's fort in 1846 wrote: "Sutter keeps six to eight hundred Indians in a complete state of slavery." That same year, growing tension between the US and Mexico over disputed territory, broke out into war. By the following year, American forces had driven Mexican troops out of Northern California and secured the territory for themselves. Sutter suddenly found himself in a tricky position. As a Mexican citizen who enjoyed warm relations with the Mexican government, he could lose everything in the takeover by the Americans. But Sutter was a savvy businessman and worked hard to ingratiate himself with the incoming American officials, who allowed him to hold on to his vast estate and captive workforce.
9:50 Lindsay Graham? In 1847, many of Sutter's Native American laborers died in a measles epidemic, which forced him to find another business venture to keep his expensive estate afloat. He decided to open a timber mill. And to oversee its construction, he hired James Marshall, a 37-year-old carpenter and veteran of the Mexican-American War. Marshall scouted for a suitable place to build the mill, and eventually settled on a plot of land 40 miles northeast of Sutter's fort. It was located in the Coloma Valley, near the South Fork of the American River. Marshall hired workers and began construction. Their first task was to dig a water channel to power the mill's wheel. But their digging led to an unexpected discovery.
10:33 Lindsay Graham? In January 1848, Marshall found several nuggets of gold in the channel. Initially, most of the workers figured Marshall had simply gotten lucky and that these few nuggets were all there was to find. But a few of the men suspected there might be more. They started faking illnesses or sneaking off during the workday to search for this gold. They panned the surrounding creeks and rivers using willow baskets woven by local Native women to sift through the gravelly soil in the riverbeds. They soon found that Marshall's discovery was no fluke. Sometimes, they didn't even need to use their baskets. They could just jab the rocks in the river and creek beds with their knives, and flakes of gold would crumble out. Precious metal was all around them.
11:15 Lindsay Graham? Soon, rumors about the discovery of gold began leaking out to nearby towns, like the tiny seaport of San Francisco. At first, most people who heard the rumors scoffed at them. Since the earliest days of European colonization of the Americas, there have been stories of unimaginable troves of gold yet to be discovered. But none of those stories had proven to be true. So to the skeptical residents of San Francisco, rumors of gold in the Sierra Nevada foothills were no more credible than stories of El Dorado, the fabled city of gold that Spanish conquistadors had tried and failed to find. But any skepticism would soon disappear, thanks to the promotional genius of one man.
11:59 Lindsay Graham? Imagine it's a gorgeous spring day in May 1848. You're a doctor, walking through downtown San Francisco. Cheap wooden buildings line the hilly streets, adorned with crudely painted signs for saloons, a blacksmith, and several tailors. As you walk, you try to keep your shoes and pants clean, but it isn't easy. The dirt roads are piled with horse dung and muddy from recent rains. There's filth everywhere, which is frustrating. You've been down on your luck lately, and this is your last decent suit. The city is so isolated, it's hard to get new clothes. But as you carefully pick your way through the muddy streets, your concentration is broken by a booming voice shouting from across the street.
12:41 Lindsay Graham? Gather round, everyone. I've got an exciting tale to tell about gleaming nuggets of gold, right here in California. You look over and see a young man with wavy brown hair and thick sideburns. He's standing on an apple crate, calling out like a carnival barker. You don't even need to dig for the stuff. Just the other day, I saw a man trip over a ten-pound nugget. When he got up to brush himself off, he was covered in gold dust. People sneeze this stuff up there, I tell you. A used handkerchief is worth a hundred dollars. You roll your eyes. Rumors about gold are hogwash. But you see a few young fellows gather around the man. They stare up at him wide-eyed, soaking in every word.
13:25 Lindsay Graham? So you push your way through the growing crowd to get a closer look at this man. "Excuse me, what's your name, young man?" "Samuel Brannon, at your service." "Well, Samuel Brannon, what's your angle?" "You own land where this so-called gold was found?" "I do, and a general store up that way, too." "Brannon's Dry Goods, the best prices in California." But before Brannon can get going again, you turn to the crowd. "No, no, this is an obvious scam." "He admits he owns land up there and a store, so he's starting these gold rumors for his own benefit." "He's just trying to drum up business, drive up the price of his land." "I tell you, there's no gold." "This man's a grifter, plain and simple." They're gratified to see the change on people's faces.
14:08 Lindsay Graham? Their wide-eyed looks of wonder hardened into anger. But to your surprise, Brannon doesn't look upset. He's actually smiling. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, what does this look like to you?" Brannon reaches into his coat pocket and produces a jar which he holds up to the sun. Squinting through one eye, you notice the contents glint in the sunlight. Now you feel your own eyes go wide. The jar is packed with gold dust. Brannon gives it a shake, and you can see the flakes dancing up and down. There must be a thousand dollars' worth right in the palm of his hand. The crowd around you is totally silent. People stare, their mouths hanging open. Where once you held contempt for this man,
14:52 Lindsay Graham? suddenly there's now only one thought coursing through your brain. "You've got to get some of that gold for yourself."
15:02 Lindsay Graham? Sam Brannon was a merchant, land speculator, and part-time con artist. As soon as he learned the discovery at Sutter's Mill, he had a vision of how big a gold rush could be, and he was determined to capitalize on it. Brannon was born in Maine and had converted to Mormonism, although he drank so much that he was later excommunicated. He had dabbled in journalism before drifting to California in the mid 1840s. There, he bought some land and opened up a general store near Sutter's Fort. At first, Brannon was torn over the news of James Marshall's discovery. Part of him thought the smart thing to do would be to keep quiet and go gold prospecting for himself. But eventually, he decided that he could make more money by broadcasting the discovery
15:46 Lindsay Graham? and drawing crowds of would-be miners out to his store. So Brannon set out to convince people in San Francisco that the gold rumors were real. He knew it would be no easy task. Many people had heard such rumors before, and word of mouth alone was not going to be enough to convince them. So in May 1848, Brannon purchased enough gold dust to fill a jar and made the 90-mile journey to San Francisco. There, he began waving his hat around to gather a crowd, shouting about the newly discovered gold. When people scoffed, he simply held up the jar and let the gold glisten in the sun. That sight convinced even hardcore skeptics. After seeing Brannon's gold dust, many people rushed off to the local hardware stores to
16:31 Lindsay Graham? buy picks and shovels. But they soon discovered that all the mining tools in town had been purchased the day before by Brannon himself. Brannon was willing to sell the equipment to anyone who asked, at several times the original cost. Brannon's hype act worked better than even he expected. Hundreds of people left San Francisco to start hunting for gold, nearly emptying the city overnight. As word trickled down the coast, crowds of gold seekers streamed in from other California towns like Monterey and Los Angeles. Farmers deserted their fields, laborers their tools. Sailors arriving at San Francisco Bay forfeited years of back pay to desert their ships and try their luck in the goldfields.
17:13 Lindsay Graham? One ship captain, upon reaching San Francisco, put his crew in chains to keep them from running off. James Marshall and his workers eventually finished Sutter's Mill, but it never saw much timber. Anyone who might have worked at the mill was too busy searching for gold. And it wasn't just common laborers who caught gold fever. Doctors and lawyers also cast off their old lives to go prospecting. Before the discovery of gold, the economy of California was difficult even for highly skilled or educated workers. There were far fewer clients for their services, and many of those clients could barely pay their bills. And compared to most any other profession, gold mining looked like easy pickings. With a shovel, tin pan, and a sturdy back,
17:56 Lindsay Graham? you could make a fortune in a few days. So by the summer of 1848, word of gold began to spread beyond California. Brandon's Tales of Easy Riches made it to China, Australia, Hawaii, and South America. And people far and wide would prove every bit as eager as those in California to risk everything for a chance to strike it rich.
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19:46 Lindsay Graham? In the early days of the gold rush, entrepreneurs like Sam Brannon faced little competition, mainly because there was hardly anyone in California to compete with him. Only about 15,000 non-native Americans lived in California in 1848, and most of them were from Mexico. Americans like James Marshall and Sam Brannon were in the minority. To most Americans, and even most Mexicans, California was a remote frontier. Before the Mexican-American War, Mexico had been so desperate for people to move to California that they briefly sent convicts there. The gold rush changed all that. Suddenly, California was a land of opportunity, a place you could strike it rich.
20:29 Lindsay Graham? As a result, during the latter half of 1848, outsiders began streaming in. But even though California was under US military control in 1848, few of the new arrivals were Americans. The vast majority of the US population lived east of the Mississippi, especially along the Atlantic coast. Travel to the west was difficult and dangerous. The distance from Washington DC to San Francisco was 2,500 miles overland, a trip that had to be made in ox-drawn wagons through deserts and over mountains. The main sea route involved sailing all the way around the tip of South America. It was far easier to travel from Washington to London or Paris than from Washington to California.
21:13 Lindsay Graham? As a result, the early stages of the gold rush drew people not from the population centers of the US, but from places around the Pacific Rim that could reach California by ship, places like Chile, Hawaii, Australia, and China. Chinese immigrants would play a central role in California's development. But before word of gold got out, few Chinese had traveled to California. One of the first was a man named Chung Ming, who hailed from Guangdong in southern China, then known to English speakers as Canton. Chum immigrated to California in 1847 and was the first documented Chinese person to live in San Francisco. He opened up a shop there and settled into a comfortable life.
21:55 Lindsay Graham? But in the spring of 1848, he saw Sam Brannon's jar of gold dust glinting in the sunlight. Chum dashed off a letter to a cousin in China, telling him about the discovery, then hurried up into the mountains to start prospecting himself. It's not known how much gold Chum found, but it was enough to write a second letter home bragging about his riches. The letter was passed around his home region, and before long, more than 300 young Chinese men had poured into California, each with dreams of striking it rich. They called California Gamsan, or Golden Mountain. But for many Chinese immigrants, the reality of life in cutthroat northern California was
22:36 Lindsay Graham? hardly golden. Imagine it's September 1848. You've recently arrived in San Francisco from Hong Kong, where you worked as an office clerk. But now you're ready to try your luck at a new profession: gold miner. Today, you're standing in line in a crowded hardware store to buy tools and supplies. While you wait, you study the silver American coins you acquired this morning in exchange for Chinese currency. Based on your work in Hong Kong, a British colony, you can read and speak English, but the pictures and words on the coins still seem so strange. Ahead of you in line, you see two other Chinese men at the counter. When they try to order, it's obvious they don't speak much English.
23:21 Lindsay Graham? The store's owner grows frustrated, finally growls at them.
23:25 Speaker 05 What do you want already?
23:27 Lindsay Graham? The two men try to mime what they're looking for: a tent and some food. The store owner watches them, then turns to a clerk. Okay, go fetch that torn tent and back. No spoiled barrels of pork. Just make sure the lids are on tight, right? The clerk snickers and disappears. Then the owner turns to the Chinese men.
23:46 Speaker 06 Twenty dollars. Two, zero. Twenty dollars.
23:50 Lindsay Graham? Watching this, you are shocked. Not only is the store owner selling them a torn tent and rotten pork, but he's doubling the price. And these Chinese men don't realize it. They start laying out coins from a silk purse. You decide you need to step forward.
24:06 Speaker 06 No, no, no, no, stop! This is an outrageous price to charge!
24:10 Lindsay Graham? The owner's eyebrows shoot up, startled to hear you speak fluent English. Then he flushes red, and a scowl darkens his face. Well, you mind your own goddamn business. You're taking advantage of these men, selling them rotten goods. You don't know what you're talking about. We would never sell rotten goods. And I suppose you wouldn't double your prices either? Or sell people torn tents? Oh, that's enough. Out of my store! The Chinese men look at you confused, so you explain to them in Cantonese what's happening. Both look startled and snatch their coins back. Meanwhile, the store owner hollers over his shoulder. Hey Pete, James, get in here! Two clerks emerge from the back. The store owner points at you. Toss that one out in the street!
24:55 Lindsay Graham? Before you can do anything, the two store clerks rush forward and lift you by the arms. You try to resist, but the men overpower you. They slam you backwards into the swinging door and shove you into the street. You land hard on your back in a cloud of dust. A few passersby stop to stare at you curiously for a moment before moving on. But just a moment later, the two other Chinese men rush over and help you to your feet, brushing the dirt off you. You thank them in Cantonese before they hurry off, looking shaken. You're feeling pretty rattled yourself, but you're still eager to get to the gold fields and start prospecting. So you set off in search of another hardware store, and hope you can find one that won't try to rip you off.
25:42 Lindsay Graham? In the late 1840s, China was still in turmoil following a series of political rebellions and a war with Great Britain. Amid this instability, in 1848, news arrived about the discovery of gold in California. And for many young Chinese men, traveling there seemed like an amazing opportunity. If nothing else, they figured they could make a quick fortune and return to China later. Over the next three years, twenty-five thousand Chinese immigrants would arrive in California. One of the earliest immigrants was Yi Ah Tia. Yi came from a long line of fishermen and farmers, but preferred life in the city, and moved to the new British colony of Hong Kong in the mid-1840s. There, he learned to read and write in English,
26:25 Lindsay Graham? but a lack of steady work and a desire for gold convinced Yi to strike out for America instead. Yi was typical of many young Chinese immigrants at the time. He came from southern China and financed his trip with borrowed money. During his harrowing journey across the Pacific, the ship he traveled on lost two men, either from disease or from being swept overboard. The ships on which the Chinese traveled to California were often small, crowded, and ill-suited to long voyages. Many had so few beds that people slept in shifts. And when they arrived in the Sierra foothills, the Chinese joined other prospectors, living in small tent cities near streams where the mining and panning for gold was best. Some struck up friendships with local white miners.
27:09 Lindsay Graham? The Chinese would invite them to their camps for steaming plates of rice and pork. One American miner wrote, "Many a pleasant dinner have I had eating their outlandish dishes." He struggled, however, to use chopsticks, much to the delight of the Chinese miners, who, seeing my awkwardness, would burst out in loud laughter. But such camaraderie was rare. More often, the Chinese faced harsh discrimination for their traditions, customs, and appearance. Many white miners mocked the Chinese men for the way they braided their hair into thin ponytails, ate with chopsticks, and wore hats made of bamboo. White store owners often took advantage of Chinese customers and sold them subpar goods at inflated prices. And as the competition in the goldfields grew fiercer,
27:53 Lindsay Graham? relations between Americans and Chinese deteriorated. If Chinese miners laid claim to a promising stretch of land, white miners would often jump the claim and run them off. Many Chinese found themselves pushed into more and more marginal areas with little recourse in protecting their claims. In land disputes, authorities often sided with white miners. So eventually, many Chinese immigrants quit mining altogether and went into other, steadier lines of work. They served as waiters or cooks in restaurants. They cut hair, ran boarding houses, or took in laundry. Many slept in their businesses at night to save money. Others would eventually prosper. E R T A settled in the small gold-mining town of Laporte, where he became a partner
28:38 Lindsay Graham? in a thriving general store called Hop Singh. But success stories like Yi's were rare. Foreigners from other parts of the world would learn the same lessons the Chinese did: that for them, the mines were a rough place. This was especially true for would-be miners from Latin America—Peruvians, Chileans, and even Mexicans—who suddenly found themselves treated as foreigners in a territory that had once been theirs. One Mexican-born miner recalled seeing signs posted near his claim that warned that all those who were non-American citizens had to leave the area within 24 hours, and that force would be used against those who failed to obey. But that didn't stop more immigrants from coming. Gold fever is contagious.
29:19 Lindsay Graham? But the miners from other countries would soon be joined by a new wave of arrivals. By late 1848, the tales of gold were becoming too promising for Americans back east to ignore, and soon, proof of gold would come from the highest office in the land, sparking a mass movement west that would reshape the future of the nation.
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31:19 Lindsay Graham? In the early days of the gold rush, the American government official who played the biggest role was a hard-charging and cunning young soldier named William Tecumseh Sherman. Sherman would later become famous as a Union general in the Civil War, but in the 1840s, he was a young soldier stationed in Northern California during the Mexican-American War. When that war ended in early 1848, Sherman transferred to a post in Monterey, where he assisted the new American military governor of California. One day that spring, two scruffy men showed up, saying they had been sent by John Sutter with an urgent message for the governor. Reluctantly, Sherman let them in. In the governor's office, the bedraggled men presented several flakes of what appeared to be gold.
32:04 Lindsay Graham? Sherman and the governor tested the metal by beating it flat with the blunt end of a hatchet. They also dribbled Kosta chemicals on it. They were soon convinced. It was gold. The two men also presented a letter from John Sutter, who demanded the mining rights to the area where his workers had found the gold. The governor told Sherman to prepare the response. In his letter to Sutter, Sherman had to be careful. As far as he knew, California was not yet officially US territory, but merely, in his words, "held by conquest." News of the treaty that officially ceded California to the US would not reach Monterey for several weeks, and until it did, the governor's office had no authority to grant mining rights.
32:46 Lindsay Graham? Instead, Sherman gave only tacit approval for Sutter to begin mining for gold. He later explained, "As there were no settlements within forty miles, Sutter was not likely to be disturbed by trespassers." But having given permission for the mining, now Sherman had a greater matter to consider. He felt it his duty to alert the federal government to this new discovery, since it could have big implications for the future of California. News of gold would likely send people flooding into the newly annexed US territory, and not all of them Americans. And gold was the basis of US currency, meaning it could affect government finances. So Sherman decided to write another letter, this time to Washington, reporting the discovery of gold in northern California.
33:30 Lindsay Graham? Like Sam Brannon, Sherman knew people would be skeptical until they saw the precious metal with their own eyes. So he decided to send along some proof of the gold's existence. That summer, he visited the goldfields in the Sierra Nevadas and used government funds to purchase about fourteen pounds of gold. Sherman packed the gold in a small metal box, described by some accounts as an oyster tin, by some others as a metal tea caddy. Whatever it was, back in Monterey, he bundled the tin up with his letter and sent a courier off to President James K. Polk in Washington DC. That courier, a young artillery officer named Lucian Lesser, had orders to reach DC as soon as possible. But that was easier said than done.
34:13 Lindsay Graham? Lesser first, had to catch a ship down to Peru. Then he took a British vessel back up to Panama, where he crossed the Central American Isthmus on a mule. Next, he boarded a third ship to Jamaica, and then a fourth to New Orleans, all while lugging around a fourteen-pound tin of gold. Lesser didn't arrive in Washington until November, four months after setting out. President Polk's administration was already quite interested in their new territorial acquisition. Polk was an enthusiastic believer in manifest destiny, the idea that white American settlers had a divine right to populate all lands west of the original 13 states. And in so believing, Polk had long had his eyes on California as a key to that plan,
34:56 Lindsay Graham? and even had tried to purchase the land prior to the war with Mexico. But not all of Polk's advisors shared his interest in California. And where some saw opportunity in the discovery of gold, others saw a dilemma. Imagine it's a gray November afternoon in 1848. You're one of President James Polk's advisors on the governing of new territories out west. It's Friday afternoon, normally a sleepy time, but you're hurrying down the hallway of the White House with an urgent message for your boss, a senior official in the General Land Office. Thankfully, your boss is in. Sir, do you have a minute? I was just about to leave. Can it wait? No, I don't think so.
35:39 Lindsay Graham? You thump down on his tidy desk an old metal tin. It's dinged up and spotted with rust. Looks like a piece of trash. Your boss, a genteel fellow, wrinkles his nose. And what on earth is that? Well, look inside. You remove the lid, and his eyes go wide. The tin is packed with pieces of gold. Where did you get this? It's from California. A courier just arrived. You've been hearing those stories in the newspapers, right? Well, no one believes them. Well, I didn't either. But here's the proof. There's this letter from the governor's office, too. He says there's tons more gold where this came from. You hand the letter to your boss, who puts on his glasses and scans it quickly. Hmm, this is extraordinary.
36:24 Lindsay Graham? Rumors are true. I think they are. And also, our duty is clear: We need to announce this discovery to the American people. Oh, whoa, I'm not so sure about that. I mean, if we announce there's gold in California, thousands will pour across the continent. California doesn't have the infrastructure to handle that. Where will people live? What will they eat? But it would stimulate much-needed commerce. Besides, our entire money supply depends on gold. We have a duty to excavate as much as possible, to mint new currency and fill the government coffers. But your boss ignores your argument. Nah, some people who set out won't even make it to California alive. There are prairies to cross, harsh deserts, steep mountains. Gosh, remember what happened to the Donner Party? You groan.
37:08 Lindsay Graham? The Donner Party disaster is still fresh on everyone's mind. Even though over a year has passed, newspapers still run stories about the settlers who got snowbound in the Sierra Nevada mountains and resorted to cannibalism. Your boss scans the governor's letter again and casts it aside. No, no, I'm leaning towards saying nothing. No need to cause a rush with a reckless announcement. The gold will always still be there. Well, sir, I see your point, but there's one more factor to consider. Our hold on California is tenuous. What do you mean by that? Well, right now, Americans are badly outnumbered in the territory. What's to stop Mexico from raising more troops and invading? Especially now when they hear there's gold there. This line of argument gets your boss's attention.
37:54 Lindsay Graham? He starts chewing his lip. President Polk campaigned hard on expanding the United States. The prospect of losing territory back to Mexico would be humiliating. So you quickly press your case. But sir, like you said, if we announce the gold, Americans will likely flock to California. It's true, a few unfortunate souls might struggle. But we can take measures to minimize that risk, setting up garrisons with food supplies and the like. I think the rewards outweigh the risks. The more of our citizens move there, the more we solidify California as American. Your boss reaches down and picks up the dirty tin of gold. It's heavier than it looks, and he grunts with effort as he studies its contents.
38:36 Lindsay Graham? Even in the fading light of a cloudy Washington afternoon, the gold gleams in his hand. A smile slowly spreads across his face. In that moment, you know you've won. He'll tell President Polk to announce that there's gold in California. When Polk does, it's going to change everything.
38:57 Lindsay Graham? On December 5th, 1848, President Polk's State of the Union address appeared in newspapers around the country. In it, Polk confirmed what rumors had hinted at for months: there was gold in California. Polk assured the public that accounts of the abundance of gold were corroborated by the authentic reports of officers in the public service who have visited the mineral district and derived their facts from personal observation. Before Polk's address, the only reports of gold in California came from sensational newspaper accounts, which most of the public distrusted. But when those same newspapers reprinted Polk's address, people believed. Finally, here was official confirmation from the president himself that the sensational tales of gold were true.
39:42 Lindsay Graham? And with that, gold fever swept the country. Starting in 1849, tens of thousands of Americans would surge across the continent to reach California. They came to be known as Forty-Niners. They would help reshape the future of the United States. But the dissenting members of Polk's administration were right about one thing: many of those people would recklessly gamble everything for the promise of gold, including their lives. From Wondery, this is episode one of our four-part series on the California Gold Rush from American History Tellers. In our next episode, the Forty-Niners begin streaming west and encounter deadly obstacles at every turn. Upon reaching the goldfields, most determine the trip wasn't worth the risk, but a few
40:26 Lindsay Graham? lucky souls hit paydirt, and their sudden wealth transforms California virtually overnight. American History Tellers is only possible because of listeners like you, so thank you. And don't miss an episode! Be sure to follow American History Tellers on Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. Audible subscribers can binge new seasons of American History Tellers early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts. And to find out more about me, including my other podcasts, my live show, the history tours I'm arranging, and all sorts of other things, go to historyishuman.com. That's historyishuman.com.
41:09 Lindsay Graham? If you'd like to learn more about the gold rush, we recommend The Age of Gold by H.W. Brands and The Rush by Edward Dolnick. American History Tellers is hosted, edited, and produced by me, Lindsay Graham, for Airship. Audio editing by Molly Bach. Sound design by Derek Behrens. Music by Lindsay Graham. This episode is written by Sam Keen. Edited by Dorian Marina. Produced by Alita Rozansky. Our managing producer is Matt Gant. Senior managing producer is Tanja Thigpen. And senior producer is Andy Herman. Executive producers are Jenny Lauer Beckman and Marcia Louis for Wondery.
41:48 Speaker 06 For decades, two legendary brands fought for the hearts of American bikers: Indian Motorcycle and Harley-Davidson. The battle looked a lot like Coke versus Pepsi or Ford versus Chevy, but tastes changed and Indian didn't adapt fast enough. The icon all but died. Then came the con men, the dreamers, a string of spectacular failures that kept Indian in the grave, until one company finally got it right. This is the story of an improbable revival and the reignition of an old rivalry. Hey, I'm David Brown, the host of the podcast Business Wars. And every season, we bring you the true stories behind the companies that shape our world. Indian's new owners are going all in, but an existential crisis looms. Can Indian and Harley recruit enough younger riders to survive?
42:31 Speaker 06 Make sure to follow Business Wars wherever you get your podcasts. Audible subscribers can binge all episodes of Business Wars early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts.
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