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Feature Article on Gold Rush. Topic:
GOLD RUSH
Written by Rich Wallace in May,
1996
MANY SHELBY COUNTIANS LEFT HOME TO SEEK CALIFORNIA GOLD...Pg 2 |
| By 1850, no news had been
received from Bush and his fellow travelers. The tide of rumors about fortunes being made
in the gold fields could not be stemmed. Seventy-seven more people left the county in
1850. Among them were Samuel Gamble and his sons William and Samuel, Jr. The Gambles
left with a wagon made for them by the local wagon maker, Jacob Piper. They did not have
sufficient funds to pay for it, so Piper let them take it with the promise to pay him if
they returned. Those who left in 1850 were gold seekers. In many cases, like the Bushes
and the Gambles, all of the males in a family departed, apparently leaving the women to
fend for themselves.
The destination of everyone was initially either St. Joe or Independence, Missouri.
Bush and his friends arrived on June 1. These towns, then on the border of civilization,
competed fiercely for the travelers and the money they brought with them. Although a few
struck it rich in California, serious fortunes were more quickly made in these towns by
"outfitting" the unsuspecting and often ignorant gold seekers.
According to an article written for
the Smithsonian Magazine by Bill Gilbert, charges for goods were whatever the
traffic would bear. In St. Joe, for example, the physicians got together and announced a
schedule of charges. Patient visits within one mile would be one dollar, with a surcharge
of 50 cents for each additional mile. A sample of the extra charges for actual treatment:
50 cents for a small blister, one dollar for an enema, and five dollars for the delivery
of a child. Amputation of fingers and toes cost 5 dollars and an arm ten. A bushel of
corn, costing 15 cents throughout the year, was one dollar in the spring when the
adventure seekers arrived.
Imagine the fear that the Houston
family felt as they began the two thousand mile trek across the wilderness. Rumors of
attacks by savage Indians abounded. The deserts were described as vast wastelands that
only the most hardy could cross. Robert Houston and his entire family made it safely to
the valley of the Willamette River in Oregon. They had seen hundreds of Indians, all of whom were peaceful. At times
buffalo covered the vast plains as far as the eye could see. After seven months, they were
in the Promised Land.
A bit more excitement awaited John
Bush and his friends the next year. After reaching St. Joe uneventfully, the men set out
across the prairie. Mile after mile, the group moved westward. The dust was shoe top deep,
and covered everyone and everything in its path. Those able to walk would do so to save
the added strain on the horses and the oxen - the most valuable commodities of all.
They, too, saw herds of buffalo
numbering, by Bush's account, "in the hundreds of thousands." One night
in camp, all the horses, apparently attracted by the passing buffalo, ran off. John ran
after them and continued his pursuit for eight miles. Exhausted, he barely made it back to
camp. The horses were never recovered. Later in the trip, Indians raided their camp during
the night. Bush led a party in retaliation. Surprising the Indians at dawn the next day,
Bush and the others routed about 30 braves and recovered all their supplies.
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