ABSTRACT: California Gold Rush letter written by Samuel N. Patton, 1852.
SCOPE: This letter, dated April 21, 1852, was written by former Philadelphia resident Samuel N. Patton. Writing to a friend from Rich Gulch in Calaveras County, Patton describes his experience moving to California to be a miner, traveling through the boomtown of San Francisco and the varying landscape of the region. He also describes meetings with friends and his views on gold fever. The letter offers a new migrant’s perspective on the business practices, social relationships, and natural environment at the heart of the California Gold Rush.
EXTENT: Four pages.
ACCESS: This collection can be viewed on-site in the Rare Book and Manuscripts Reading Room. Some of the material may be photocopied, digitally scanned or photographed, subject to condition and other access restrictions. Information on conducting research with the archival collections of the Library, including current building hours and reading room policies, can be found on our Research page. The St. Louis Mercantile Library is located on levels one and two of the Thomas Jefferson Library building on the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ north campus. The letter is available for remote & online viewing on the UMSL Digital Library as M-606 Patton, Samuel N. California Gold Rush Letter.
Preferred Citation note: The preferred citation for this collection is “From the Special Collections of the St. Louis Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri – St. Louis."
