Maine Man in California: A Record of the Gold Rush Era

Abstract

N the years following the discovery of gold at Sutter's mill in January, 1848, thousands of people flocked to California, lured by the hope of accumulating their pile in the new El Dorado. Among them was Benjamin B. Dinsmore of Bloomfield (now a part of Skowhegan), Maine, who left home his fianc6e, Mary Lord, on September 8, 1851, in company with Mary's brother, James, other friends. His diary during the months of his absence from Maine is an interesting record of his trip to California, via the Isthmus of Panama, his rather disappointing experiences in the mining camps in both the northern southern gold fields, his religious devotion, his physical maladies, his longing to return to Maine his betrothed. The following account is based upon Dinsmore's own story of his participation in one of the most romantic episodes of American history.' Three days after leaving Bloomfield, Benjamin Dinsmore his companions were in New York, trying to secure passage to the Isthmus of Panama. Ships were leaving for Panama almost daily, but still there was not enough space for the hundreds of fortuneseekers who had gold-dust in their eyes. Gold is the root of all evil, wrote Dinsmore in his diary on the second discouraging day in New York, and I don't know but it will prove to be in my case. But the next day a passage was found: We have been running about on tom fools errand as the saying is about half of the forenoon try[ing] to get ticket to suit the whole company, at last I got sick of such business James I with seven others went bought ticket in the first cabin on board the Ohio the rest of the boys soon followed suit at 50 dollars to the isthmus. On September 13, at 3:00 P.M., they were off for Panama-and California!