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Go west young woman…
September 8, 2014 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Searching for California gold rush and western expansion reports in mid-1848 through 1850 newspapers is one of the simple pleasures of the hobby. Through reading these first hand period accounts one can easily grasp the sense of adventure which drove many young and not-so-young men to strike out for the west coast. Reports focusing on the value of the gold found and on the free-spirit lifestyle of many of the mining camps would have been attractive to many who were struggling to make their way in this new land. However, while the possibility of striking it rich may have been enticing, at the end of the day, even the quest for potential wealth was a bit lacking when a long-hard day of searching for gold was not capped off with the comfort and companionship of a wife (i.e., someone who was going to clean, cook, etc.?). A couple of reports in a Sunday Times & Noah’s Weekly Messenger (New York) dated April 1, 1849 bring this truth to light. Please enjoy:
How the West Was Won – Go East Young Man?
August 29, 2014 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
An article within a National Intelligencer from January 18, 1849 instantly expanded my perspective on the California Gold Rush of 1848-1851. Heretofore I had only viewed the rush traffic flowing in a single direction. Apparently, as revealed in the article shown below, this was limited thinking. In retrospect, I wonder how many would have wished they had stayed and purchased beach-front property? Note: The Sandwich Islands mentioned are what is now known as the Hawaiian Islands.
California’s first newspaper…
November 9, 2009 by TimHughes · 5 Comments
For much of the information below we credit John Oswald’s work “Printing In The Americas”.
Printing in California began in 1825 when it was under Mexican rule, being not much more than engraved wood blocks used to make seal impressions. Some years later in 1833 with a new governor for the province an announcement of his arrival in California was issued, being the oldest known California imprint.
As for newspapers, the very first published in California was on August 15, 1846 with the beginning of the “Californian” in the city of Monterey, just five weeks after the United States flag has been raised over the city and California was proclaimed a part of the United States. The newspaper was published by Rev. Walter Colton, a champlain of the U.S. frigate ‘Congress” docked at Monterey and a one time editor of the Philadelphia “North American“, and Robert Semple. On April 24, 1847 Semple became the sole proprietor of the “Californian” and two weeks later he moved it to San Francisco.
The second newspaper in California was published as a venture of the Mormons. They created the “California Star“, the first regular number of which appeared January 9, 1847. On November 18, 1848 the Californian” and the “Star” merged, the name becoming the “Alta California“.
Since the population of California was relatively small before the gold rush of 1849 newspapers from this decade are exceedingly difficult to find. They become much more numerous from 1850 onwards, but any title from the 1846-1849 period would be considered a terrific find by any collector.