1850 – An exceptional letter from an early California gold miner discussing sickness, opportunity, Indian attacks, and grizzly bears
Clear Creek City, Alta California: 1850. Envelope or Cover. This three-page stampless folded letter measures 15½” x 9¾” unfolded. It is datelined “Clear Creek City: Alta California July the 14th 1850. It was sent by Orondo Beardsley to his parents in “Willet / on the Otselic Creek Cortland Co. / N.Y.” It bears a scarce circular 40-cent San Francisco postmark dated 25 July [1850]. In nice shape.
Online genealogical records show Beardsley had apparently abandoned his job aboard a whaling ship when the vessel docked in San Francisco not long after gold was discovered in California. Unfortunately, his hope of soon striking it rich was derailed by health issues.
“The reasons of my not writing you oftener of late is that I have been sick for over five months and no way of conveying my letter to the post office. . .. my sickness cost me about two thousand Dollars besides throwing me out of a good winter’s Mining my complaint was first the intermittent Fever which lasted me better than a month then it closed with the Fever and Ague combined with the Scurvey, I as verry weak with a shortness of breath could not walk but a verry short distance my chill and Fever was daily which lasted from twelve to sixteen hours each day leaving me verry weak and faint the remainder of the day I tried all of the remedies within my reach some of my own and some from several eminante Physicians neer at hand but all to no affect until about two months ago . . . I gained strength by the intermiting of the Disease and felt much better but would shake once or twice a week and it left me verry weak at last thare came a Homepathic Dr. John H. Hall of Albany N.Y. and I think he has affected a permanent cure with one of his big pills . . . my appetite gained its old stand in a few days my bowels became regular my strength increased every day. the effect is truly wonderful and I am satisfied. . .."
With his recovery, Beardsley began his gold quest which included encounters with Native Americans and Grizzly Bears.
“The climate is quite warm but very little snow in winter with much rain and disagreeable weather the summer is verry dry seldom any rain for six months it is thinly timbured. . .. the productions of gold is verry larger yet if my advise would avale anything I would stay at home by all means for the business is over down thare: hundreds that is not making their board roberies are frequent within and without Murder every man is armed to the teeth no law and no principal then the Indian must have revenge for the spoiling of his hunting grounds under the cover of night he comes to kill and plunder set fire and destroy they do some of their deeds in a horrid manner I have lost a mule by them worth $200, I was at one of their villages five days ago one Cottonwood Creek twenty miles distant from this the Cheaf recieved me and my party with great kindness gave me the knowledge that I required and I left them in peace the same day we saw three grislery Bears on the right of us they retreated and we being not well armed thought best to let them go they fight hard after being wounded and we had no trees to climb. I expect to leve here with Dr. Hall for Chasty (Shasta?) River in a day or two it is from 80 to 100 miles to the north of this there is new digings found in the above river. . ..”
And before conveying love to all his family members and greetings to his friends, Beardsley announces his future plans.
“I intend on coming home this fall I should have come home this spring but my sickness prevented my keeping the gold nesisary at least I thought so and like many others I think it would take a large amount to satisfy me the miners in this part of the mines made from one thousand to five thousand dollars last fall and winter a great more have gone to their families with their prise good luck to them &c. . ..”
. Very good. Item #010292Beardsley was born at McDonough, New York in 1818. He joined the crew of a New Bedford whaling ship, the Formosa, as its blacksmith in 1844. The ship hunted whales throughout the Pacific until 1849 when it stopped at San Francisco, picking up the first shipment of California gold which it carried back east. The New York Post reported that it docked at New Bedford on 11 May 1849 with $9,000 worth of gold dust for delivery to a pair of Boston investors.
Beardsley apparently left the vessel in San Francisco to seek his fortune in gold, as this letter attests. Thousands of other sailors did as well. In the early days of the California Gold Rush, sailors whose ships had docked in San Francisco Bay deserted their vessels in droves to strike out into gold country in hopes of striking it rich. In fact, so many ships were left crewless that they rotted in place until they sunk or were scuttled. Today, hundreds of ships lie buried under the Embarcadero and the Financial District, which used to be the city’s original shoreline.
After abandoning his quest for gold, Beardsley once more returned to the sea, however not for long as by August of 1851, he was living in Oregon where he married, started a family, and opened a blacksmith shop. He died young at 48 years old in 1866 from tuberculosis.
(For more information, see Sinclair’s “Ship Formosa” at Dave Sinclair’s Archives online, Racilla’s “What Lies Beneath: The Ships Buried Under San Francisco” at the Bay Lights Charters website, and genealogical information about “Orondo Beardsley” at WikiTree and ancestry.com.)
Scurvy, gold hunting, Indian attacks, and Grizzly Bears; you could hardly ask for more in an early stampess letter first-hand account of California's Gold Rush.
.Price: $1,500.00