Rush to Gold: The French and the California Gold Rush, 1848†“1854

Description

The California Gold Rush began in 1848 and incited many “wagons west.” However, only half of the 300,000 gold seekers traveled by land. The other half traveled by sea. And it’s the story of this second group that interests Malcolm Rohrbough in his authoritative new book, The Rush to Gold. He examines the California Gold Rush through the eyes of 30,000 French participants. In so doing, he offers a completely original analysis of an important—but previously neglected—chapter in the history of the Gold Rush, which occurred at a time of sweeping changes in France. Rohrbough is the author of Days of Gold, which is generally accepted as the essential text on the subject. This new book comes out of his extended research in French archives. He is the first to provide an international focus to these pivotal events in mid-nineteenth-century America. The Rush to Gold is an important contribution to the fast-growing field of transnational American history. CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AUTHOR’S NOTES INTRODUCTION Part One FRANCE 1. FRANCE IN 1848 Another World Turned Upside Down 2. NEWS OF CALIFORNIA GOLD DISCOVERIES SPREADS ACROSS FRANCE 3. The French Respond to the California Gold Discoveries: Adventure, New Beginnings, and Trade 4. The Rise of the French California Companies 5. The Rush to Gold: Obstacles, Preparations, and Departures Part Two CALIFORNIA 6. VOYAGES AND ARRIVALS 7. IN THE MINES Living and Working in a Masculine Community Part Three FRANCE 8. The Flowering of the New California Companies 9. THE LOTTERY OF THE GOLDEN INGOTS 10. French Stories and French Images of California Part Four CALIFORNIA 11. THE FRENCH TRADE, MINE, AND REFLECT 12. The French Argonauts Encounter the Americans 13. THE LAST FRENCH ARGONAUTS Part Five FRANCE 14. The French Argonauts Return to France: The Close of the California Adventure 15. The Long Echoes of the French “Rush to Gold” in California 16. The Balance Sheet NOTES BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX