The Quest For Fortune in Antebellum America

The California gold rush of the mid-nineteenth century was an event which exemplified the eager American spirit of the time. Not long after word spread of the discovery of gold near the lower Sacramento Valley in 1848, thousands of hopefuls from the world over rushed to California with dreams of finding their fortune. This rush led to exponential expansion of the California economy, with prices reaching new heights and homes sprouting as quickly as they could …

…of failure with stories of success such as Buffum's. In this book Buffum encompasses concrete facts among his personal stories, including information relating to science and economics. This book might have been used as a "field guide" or "manual" for a fortune-seeker of the time. Through its thoroughness and factuality, in spite of its limitations, Six Months in the Gold Mines survives as an invaluable tool for historians in the study of the gold rush.