Oregon and California in 1848 (The Far Western frontier) [Hardcover]

J. Quinn Thornton (Author), Quinn J. Thornton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1973 | ISBN-10: 0405049986 | ISBN-13: 978-0405049989 | Edition: Reprint

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1864. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... APPENDIX. THE GOLD REGION OF CALIFORNIA. WHILE the first portion of this work was passing through the press the world was astounded by a rapid succession of the most wonderful narratives of the discovery of boundless treasures, in our new possession of Upper California. At first these incredible accounts were treated by the graver portion of the population as idle stories--perhaps absolute hoaxes, or at best but gigantic exaggerations. Letter after letter, however, continued to arrive, in quick succession, from persons on the ground, to their friends in the Atlantic cities, all conspiring to give authority and consistency to these wonderful reports. Yet many doubted, and others even continued to laugh at the whole affair, and denounce it as a stale and profitless trick. But at length a letter arrived to a respectable mercantile house in New York, from the captain of one of their ships in the Pacific, stating that all California was rushing to the newly-discovered gold regions, and that his sailors had caught the infection, and deserted him--leaving his vessel safely laid up in the harbor of San Francisco, with no prospect of speedily leaving. He also corroborated the fact that gold had already begun to come in from the mines in large quantities, and that the quantity of the precious metal already discovered was incalculable, and the limits of its deposit continually expanding. About the same time several specimens of the gold itself found their way to New York, and some gentlemen arrived direct from San Francisco, who confirmed all that had been told. The public mind was by this time greatly inflamed on the exciting subject, and the doubters were becoming fewer and fewer. At this juncture the question was definitely set at rest by the appearance of the official ...

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 379 pages
• Publisher: Ayer Co Pub; Reprint edition (June 1973)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0405049986
• ISBN-13: 978-0405049989

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