Seeds of Hope: The Gold Rush Diary of Susanna Fairchild, California Territory ~ 18492001

Dear America ~~~~~~~~~~ Saturday, The 24th of March Miner's Creek Apparently we are camped on what used to be a grove of little pine trees. They were chopped down, leaving stumps of various heights, some tall enough to use as a table, others low enough for stools. This is where we were sitting when a great commotion broke out, an hour after sunrise. "Gold!" someone yelled above the noise of the river, "Mile north of Old Dry Crik!" Suddenly the noise of picks and shovels stopped. Before our eyes a swarm of men hurried out of camp to where their horses were grazing. They mounted, then disappeared into the woods. Others packed tools and bedrolls onto their mules; some just started walking. I was amazed at the power of that one word. gold.