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1850 Printed Account of Trip to the Gold Fields

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:240.00 USD Estimated At:400.00 - 500.00 USD
1850 Printed Account of Trip to the Gold Fields
Western America
1850 Printed Account of a Trip to the Gold Fields
September 14, 1850-Dated, Gold Rush, Printed Account of an Overland Trip from Connecticut to the California Gold Fields, From a Supplement to the Hartford “Connecticut Courant,” Privately Bound in Heavy Card Covers, Choice Extremely Fine.
This outstanding, 8 page, 11.75” x 9” special Supplement to an 1850 Newspaper, contains a 4 page account of the overland trip made by Dr. J.G. Candee to the California Gold fields, extracted from a letter to a friend back east.

It is titled, “From An Overland California Emigrant,” this account actually begins at Fort Smith, Arkansas and continues by the southern route through Texas, New Mexico and Arizona to San Diego, CA. From there, the Doctor took a steamer to San Francisco, and continued on to Curtisville in the San Joaquin District. A very interesting account, which includes finding quantities of semiprecious stones, but having to discard them later to lighten their load, some unflattering comments on Mexicans, kinder words for the Pima Indians in Arizona, and the inflated prices of goods in the mining areas. He mentions stopping for supplies in “Teuson” (Tucson), a town of about 500, then traveling on to the Pima Indian settlement on the Gila River.

The remaining pages include an assortment of items, including an account of the capture of Washington, D.C. by the British in 1814. This original 1850 newspaper is in excellent condition, very lightly toned, with a trivial 1” edge tear on one page. A wonderful, firsthand account of the great Gold Rush.