Statewide County CA Archives History - Books .....The Great Immigration 1891
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Joy Fisher sdgenweb@gmail.com November 28, 2005, 9:27 pm

Book Title: Memorial And Biographical History Of Northern California

THE GREAT IMMIGRATION.

  The greater part of the overland immigration took the route by way of the
valley of the Platte River, the south pass of the Rocky Mountains and the valley
of the Humboldt, entering California by the Pit River route, or Lassen's Cutoff,
or the valley of the Truckee and the Bear River Ridge; and a stream poured
through the Carson Pass into the Central Mining Region. Many thousands took the
old Santa Fe trail through the valley of the Arkansas to the Rio Grande, thence
by the road followed by the Colonel Cooke and the Mormon Battalion, through
northern Sonora to the Gila River, crossing the Colorado into California and
reaching the southern mining region of the Mariposa and Tuolumne rivers several
months later than those who followed the northern route.

  There were many estimates of the number of people crossing the plains in 1849,
some placing the number as high as 100,000; but later investigations greatly
reduced the estimate. Many returned to the East by steamer before the close of
the year, some with small fortunes acquired in the mines or by speculation,
others disheartened and homesick, and death claimed also his portion. At the
commencement of the year the nationalities were estimated as follows: Native
Californians, 13,000; Americans, 8,000; foreigners, 5,000; total, 26,000. At the
close of the year it was: Natives, 13,000; Americans, 76,000; foreigners,
18,000; showing an increase of 68,000 Americans and 13,000 foreigners, a total
of 81,000 increase and a total population of 107,000. This large increase, of
which so large a majority were Americans, redeemed California from a wilderness
and made it a State of the Union.

  On the first rush for gold, of course nothing was thought of the location and
development of towns, every miner pitching his tent with reference only to the
temporary residence he expected to maintain during a short period of mining.
Naturally, however, as some of these mining camps became more permanent, towns
were made from them, and also at landing places along the streams; and within
two or three years interested parties would have counties formed, seats of
government designated and trading centers developed. According to the rough and
ready nature of the period, these towns mostly received rough and ready names,
far beyond the "record" of the past: a list need not be given here, as every one
is familiar with a large stock of them.

  The larger proportion of the camps, however, disappeared with the decline of
raining; some fell as rapidly as they had risen, when the rich but scanty
surface gold which gave them life was worked out. Everything partook of the
precarious and unstable characteristics marking this era of wild speculation ana
gambling. "Never was there a place or people," says Bancroft, "where the changes
of life, its vicissitudes and its successes, were brought in such bold relief as
here. The rich and the poor, the proud and the humble, the vile and the virtuous
changed places in a day. Wild speculation and slovenly business habits, together
with the gambling character of all occupations, and the visitations or benign
influences of the elements, and a thousand incalculable incidents usually
classed in the category of 'luck,' were constantly lilting up one and putting
down another, replacing this town or district and shriveling that." Even the
central El Dorado and Placer districts are becoming known as vinicultural rather
than gold-mining sections of the State. Alpine County relies upon her pastures,
and most of the gold belt depends upon tillage.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from

Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California.

Illustrated, Containing a History of this Important Section of the Pacific Coast
from the Earliest Period of its Occupancy to the Present Time, together with
Glimpses of its Prospective Future; Full-Page Steel Portraits of its most
Eminent Men, and Biographical Mention of many of its Pioneers and also of
Prominent Citizens of To-day.

"A people that takes no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will
never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride by remote
descendents." – Macauley.

CHICAGO
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
1891.


File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/statewide/history/1891/memorial/greatimm114ms.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/cafiles/

File size: 4.9 Kb