At the time gold fever began to spread across the country in late 1848, most Americans lived along the Eastern seaboard. If they wished to make their way to California for a chance at instant wealth, they had two choices— make the long overland journey across the three-thousand-mile breadth of North America or take the sea route around the tip of South America.

Most chose to travel by ship from eastern ports, but the trip was by no means uncomplicated. The ocean voyage often took over six months, and the notoriously rough seas at Cape Horn gave rise to dangerous passage. Many of the passengers suffered from chronic seasickness and lack of good nutrition: Food often became rancid, and fresh water contaminated, during the long stretches at sea.

Desire to reach the gold fields faster yielded a quicker route across Central America. Ships...