The January 1848 chance discovery of gold in northern California rapidly altered the course of America. On this day, August 19, in 1848, word finally reached the East Coast, when the New York Herald published a report of the discovery. By 1849, the rush was on in earnest, leading to the well-known term for gold seekers: ’49ers. Hundreds of thousands of people poured into the American West, looking to strike it rich. Scenes like the one seen below became commonplace, as able-bodied people sought their fortune:
A unique view of the journey west was captured by Rhode Island native Daniel Jenks. A decade after the initial rush, Jenks set out to cross the country in February 1859 to find gold in Pike’s Peak, Colorado. (Upon hearing reports along the way, he changed course and went to California instead.) He documented his six month journey full of mountain passes, water crossings, snowstorms and desert heat through diaries and drawings. Imagine the arduous trip through a few of his drawings below:
![The dessert [i.e., desert]. Drawing by Daniel Jenks, 1859. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsc.04817](https://blogs.loc.gov/picturethis/files/2015/08/desert-04817v1.jpg)
![[Unidentified man with gold mining equipment and wearing a U.S. beltplate]. Tintype, circa 1865. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.34503](https://blogs.loc.gov/picturethis/files/2015/08/miner-34503v-831x1024.jpg)
- View all of Daniel Jenks’ gold rush drawings in the Prints and Photographs Online Catalog. Learn more about Jenks through the webcast Journals of a Pioneer Argonaut, Daniel Jenks.
- Read first-hand accounts in “California as I Saw It:” First-Person Narratives of California’s Early Years, 1849-1900.
- Explore images related to gold mining in California.
- See photographs of the site at Sutter’s Mill where gold was first discovered in California.
- View modern photographs related to the California Gold Rush in the Carol M. Highsmith Archive in the Prints and Photographs Division.
Comments (12)
This 1/4 plate tintype is of a Union veteran who still proudly wears his U S belt plate. Notice the nuggets in the bottom of his mining pan which the photographer has tinted gold.
How did Jenks fare? Did he strike it rich?
Alas, Daniel Jenks did not strike it rich. He worked as a grocer and drover before returning home to Pawtucket, Rhode Island, where he died in 1869 at the age of 42. (Both of his parents survived him.) What Kristi did not know, is that a couple of years ago we acquired two of his diaries, including the one that he wrote for his 1859 journey west to Yreka, California via Pueblo, Colorado, as well as a Civil War-era diary recording his work as a drover between Yreka and Idaho territory, http://lccn.loc.gov/mm2012085772. The diaries and a few letters are housed in the Manuscript Division.
that was good
Very useful for school!
I love the pictures they help so much
more cooler than I thought is was going to be more boring but no.
pretty nice article
I like this
Great source! I’m currently using this on my National History Day project.
In the photo, are the dogs working dogs? It looks like they have harnesses on.
Thank you for this! I love it!