A short summary of the gold rush miners who helped shape the West.
"1848::Gold in California!"
Clip: The Californian (1848)
Monterey, California
In 1842, gold was discovered in the San Fernando Valley of California, triggering a slow and steady westward migration to the Pacific Coast of North America. However, it wasn't until the Mexican-American War ended and California annexed to the United States that California's gold was taken seriously. The great California Gold Rush began in 1848 when a significant quantity of gold was discovered near the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers. The strike was reported in newspapers across North America, spreading gold fever among the world's dreamers and fortune seekers. Close to 300,000 people embarked on a journey West, arriving by land or sea, driven by the dream of striking gold.
"1845::Map of the Maritime and Overland Routes to California"
Mapmaker: H.N. Burroughs (1845)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
After labouring in the scorching heat of the southern coast for nearly a decade, rumours of gold finds further North began to spread. Roughly 30,000 miners abandoned their lives in California to journey to Vancouver Island, the gateway to the Fraser River, where gold had been discovered along its sandy edges. A fortune was sure to be found in British Columbia, but so was a short mining season that presented unexpected challenges the further North they ventured along the river.
"1862::The Cariboo Gold Rush"
Clip: The Weekly Colonist (1862)
Victoria, British Columbia
As the Fraser River Gold Rush continued, the Cariboo Gold Rush of 1862 saw gold-seekers push further North, where the harsh terrain and freezing temperatures tested even the hardiest miners. Many gave up and returned to California. Some didn't return at all. But for those who persevered, a sense of mutual respect began to emerge, leading to the evolution of unwritten rules and etiquette among the miners and efficient ways of survival began to take shape.
"1907::A Cheechako Learning How to Bake His First Loaf of Sourdough Bread"
Photo: (tbd)
In 1896, gold was discovered in the Yukon District of Canada's Northwest Territories, triggering the great Klondike Gold Rush. Over a hundred thousand miners, journalists, scientists, dreamers, and desperados from around the world journeyed to Canada's most northern extreme in search of fame or fortune.
"1907::Sourdoughs of the Yukon"
Clip: Vancouver Daily World (1907) Vancouver, British Columbia
Among the motley crew of travellers was a new generation of miners, arriving in the frozen North with nothing more than their supplies and determination, ready to stake their claim. Their gold fever was contagious, but their foolhardy inexperience contrasted with the seasoned miners of old who, aside from their gear, had also brought along their etiquette, mining knowledge, and, most importantly, their skills for surviving in the wilderness. There was a lot to be learned.
"1907::From Cheechako to Sourdough"
Clip: Vancouver Daily World (1907)
Vancouver, British Columbia
Cheechako was the name given to all new miners arriving in the Klondike Region who had yet to endure and survive their first winter. Many of them were coached by old Sourdough Miners along the trails who taught them how to bake bread to survive. In every Sourdough Miner's gear was a bowl that contained a little chunk of soured dough. He used this small chunk of dough as a source of already-soured yeast to be mixed in with the dough of his next loaf. Whenever he used the soured dough from the bowl, he always replaced it with the same quantity of fresh dough, which would be soured again by the time he was ready to bake his next loaf. This ready supply of soured dough, just like the passing along of valuable survival skills, was the life source of the Klondike miner. A cheechako typically borrowed his first soured dough chunk to get started, but once he knew how to bake his bread and survive his first winter, he had graduated to his elevated title of Sourdough Miner.
"1874::Souring Dough" Clip: Sheffield and Rotherham Independent (1874) Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England
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