A Letter from 1851

A few years back I was a moderator on a history forum "History along the River Thames"(Ontario Canada). I asked the question why would someone leave his home and family and make the perilous journey to Australia at the time. I was referring to my GG Grandfather Jacob who along with one of his brothers published a newspaper in Ontario called the Chatham Planet.

 

I was astounded when one of the forum members found the following letter within Canadian Archives, written by Jacob's brother Charles, from San Francisco in 1851. Not only did it provide some answers to my question, but also a wonderful first hand source and look at American History during the Gold Rush of the mid 1800s'. The letter shows there were Australians in San Francisco at the time and that messages spread quickly across the globe.

 

During the Eureka Stockade rebellion at the Goldfields near Ballarat in Victoria, there was a Canadian contingent lead by Captain Henry Ross, who was mortally wounded in the battle while standing at the base of the flagpole holding the Southern Cross Flag. My ancestor Jacob was also a signatory on "The Goldfields Petition".

 

Below the following images taken in the last 24 hours, is the first of three instalments of that historical letter from Charles Dolsen written to his brothers in Ontario Canada.

 

Kookaburra on the Balcony late yesterday.

Lake Cathie from the Kenwood Side earlier today.

Looking up at a Fine Leaf Wattle

One of the many creeks of Lake Cathie today.

San Francisco, August 28th, 1851

Part 1

Dear Brothers

I wrote to you last from Sacramento in February, since then having had but little stability at any one particular place, I have delayed from time to time to the present. I have not as yet received one letter from home, although no doubt several has been sent me. But there is always such a " confusion worse confounded" about the Post Offices of this country, that it is surprising that one ever gets a letter at all while he remains here. About two days after I wrote to you last, I was joined by Thomas Gilmore and Clovis Beneto of Amhersturg, and proceeded on a voyage of discovery as far as the Salmon River, which is near the boundary of Oregon, and only about eleven days packing from there to Oregon City. We were about four weeks reaching our destination, and had very pleasant weather of it - only one days snowstorm while passing an extensive range of mountains. We performed the whole of the journey on foot, packing our provisions on our animals, which I assure you was no small undertaking. On arriving on the Salmon River, we commenced mining at various points on the river, but with indifferent success, not yielding by one fourth as it was represented to us; by a good days work we could realize 5 or 6 dollars per day each. Provisions being much higher than we had been accustomed with, we could not be content with such small gains, an thereupon a spirit of continual "prospecting" was kept up to find $12 an ounce diggins, until the spring storms came upon us, and the snow fell to such depths in the mountains, that all communications was entirely cut off for the space of over one month; during which time provisions got so scarce that we were compelled to pay from $2 to $2.50 for every pound of any kind of provisions that we could get hold of ; you can imagine that it was by no means pleasant to be working hard all day to make 6 to 8 dollars, and expending every dime of it to procure two scanty meals per day. I left about the last of April, the roads being just then barely passable, after a party of packers had tunneled a road through the snow on the Big Mountain, to the depth in many places of 15 feet, and extending some six miles in length. It took me a whole days journey over this great mountain, being 25 miles--15 miles ascending and 10 miles descending. It took me about 8 days from thence to Trinidad Bay on the Pacific Coast, when I had the first view of the great Pacific. I left Oliver Dauphin on Salmon river also Thomas Gilmour and partner, then in good health; they having resolved to remain on that stream all summer if they met with any kind of success. O. Dauphin took as partner a young man from Montreal by the name of C. Rushon, a very intelligent and well educated young Frenchman, a brother of his came out to this country some 7 or 8 years since with Col. Fremont, purchased some town lots in Sacramento and made some $60,000. , he returned to Montreal in ’49 and came to this country again in the following summer, which caused three of his youngest brothers to come out too, but they will not be successful. In two days travel on my way I reached the Klamath river, a large and beautiful stream, with fine and fertile valleys on either side of it, and abounding with the largest and finest salmon fish in the world. It is on this river where are the most numerous of the Indians, called the Klamath tribe; they are the finest looking Indians belonging to the Pacific Coast, especially the male portion of them. I noticed at my first night encampment at "Orlean's Bar" on the above river, as I awoke in the morning I could count no less than eleven of these genuine specimens of the forest, standing around the fire, not one of them less than six feet two inches, with the most perfect symetry and strongest muscular action as I have ever seen, all as naked as they were born. The men all go naked , and as unconcious of their immodest appearance as the horse; the females have a covering as far as the loins made of dressed dear skin, which they wear at a very early age. Since I left, I see by reports through the newspapers that these Indians are getting very hostile, and if they continue so they will be a terror to the miners in that section of the country, by their formidable numbers and bravery combined with their blood thirsty disposition.

 

Part 2 Cont'd tomorrow.

 

My geneology tip for today is - Research the history of where your ancestors' were at a given time, and this may give you new leads.

Fair Dinkum!!