The California Gold Rush of 1848 sparked a worldwide obsession for gold and put California and the American West on the map. The first people to reap the benefits of gold frenzy were the local Californians themselves and those who lived nearby.
However, it didn’t take long for eager gold seekers from all corners of the globe to set out for this dusty outpost of the U.S. in search of gold, glory and riches. These prospectors came to be known as “forty-niners” for the year most of them began their quest – 1849.
One of the most famous of these forty-niners was man by the name of Alexander Van Valen of New York. Unlike a majority of American gold seekers who packed up in wagons and headed west across the Great Plains, Van Valen set out for California by sea since it was the faster route, leaving behind his wife and four daughters for over two years. Along with four business partners, he set sail for San Francisco in January 1849, booking a passage on the ship Hersilia.
Keep in mind, to get from New York to San Francisco by boat in the 1800s one had to sail all the way down and around the southern tip of South America, and then back north to the California coast – a 14,000 mile trip that took 200 days.
Van Valen’s trip around Cape Horn to claim his stake in the California Gold Rush was not that different from the 25,000 other Americans that set out for gold by boat that year, but his detailed account of the trip and San Francisco’s mining conditions has made his story one of the most studied forty-niner tales in American history.
In his tattered handwritten journal, which was only recently fully transcribed by the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Van Valen recounts his journey from the Big Apple to the Golden Gate City. Along the way, he diaries about the cramped conditions onboard the Hersilia, his experiences in various South American ports, life at sea and much more.
Take this journal entry from Wednesday, August 8th, 1849 upon Van Valen’s arrival to San Francisco:
Day 199 – Cloudy and foggy. Wind North West. Saw several Vessels this morning, about 2 P.M. the more than joyfull Sound of “Land ho” was heard which resounded again and again from Stem to Stem till all joined in the welcome chorus “Land ho.” The Shores and Golden Mountains of California were directly ahead of us…
Sadly, once on land in California, Van Valen and his partners were unsuccessful in their attempt to strike it rich, and he returned to New York less than two years later.
You can read Van Valen’s journal entries for free courtesy of the Smithsonian.
Thankfully, you don’t have to sail up and down continents to acquire gold these days. Owning premium gold bullion and coins is made simple with our secure online ordering system and free shipping on orders of $99 or more. Be sure to check our current inventory for new additions and old classics.
While this may be slightly less “adventurous” than Van Valen’s epic quest, the upside is at least there’s no risk of contracting malaria or being tossed overboard into the ocean…
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