The California Gold Rush excited the imaginations of many thousands of Americans. Newspapers in the East commented on the gold craze that swept the country. They also printed letters from Forty-Niners who wrote back describing the potential riches in California.

New York Herald, 9 December 1848: "The Eldorodo of the old Spaniards is discovered at last. . . . In every direction vessels are being prepared to carry out passengers and merchandise to California. . . . The mania for emigrating to California is spreading in every direction and almost puts down and suppresses the dread of cholera. . . . This mania or madness is only at its commencement."

Nww York Herald, 7 April 1849: "Hurrah! Here we are at last! The Land of Promise—El Dorado of the West! Our own bright, beautiful, bountiful California lies before us—her lap full of riches. . . . Any strong, able bodied man...