A year of mud and gold : San Francisco in letters and diaries, 1849-1850

Book

A year of mud and gold : San Francisco in letters and diaries, 1849-1850 / edited by William Benemann.

Benemann, William, 1949- (Added Author).

Summary:

"Here are the letters and diaries of ordinary men and women caught up in the rapid transformation of San Francisco during its gold rush heyday, 1849-50. Together these accounts render a rich mosaic of San Francisco's metamorphosis from a small Mexican outpost into a rough-and-tumble boomtown filled with gamblers and prostitutes, evangelists and entrepreneurs - men, women, and children from all parts of the country, arriving in California with the dream of striking it rich." "The correspondents come from a variety of economic and social backgrounds. Some are barely literate, while others craft prose on par with the finest nineteenth-century travel literature. Their writings address a broad range of concerns, from business prospects and consumer prices to social mores and popular amusements."--Jacket.

Record details

ISBN: 0803212933
ISBN: 9780803212930
ISBN: 9780803262102
ISBN: 0803262108
Physical Description: xxiii, 241 pages : 1 map ; 25 cm
Publisher: Lincoln : University of Nebraska Press, ©1999.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:: Includes bibliographical references (pages 229-234) and index.
Formatted Contents Note:: Street Map of San Francisco in 1850 -- First Impressions -- The Ties that Bind -- O, Don't You Cry for Me -- Madmen, Drunkards, Murderers, and Whores -- The Phoenix Rises -- Men without Women -- The Course of Empire -- A Home in the West.