The California Gold Rush began with the discovery of gold on January 24, 1848. The vast majority of those seeking gold arrived before the end of 1855. The possibility of striking it rich in California drove people like bees to blossoms. Rarely have more people moved...

In an early chapter of my novel Equal and Alike,I describe the fear of Cholera in Independence, Missouri. That city was the “jumping-off place” for many gold seeking pilgrims in the 1840s and 1850s inroute to California. Just the mention of the word “Cholera” was...

While the average gold miner had no use for a white dress shirt in early San Francisco, many gents preferred them. These folks were the genteel and included gamblers, politicians, attorneys, and other professional types. White dress shirts were primarily made of...

San Francisco became a destination for people from all over the world in the late 1840s. When you consider the discovery of huge amounts of gold near Sacramento City in 1848, you can appreciate the motive to immigrate to California in those days. Ultimately, hundreds...

Faro was at one time the top gambling game in the United States. Ironically, it is fraught with ways to cheat. Dealers took advantage of unwary patrons at every turn. The game was called Pharaoh in Europe. It was imported to New Orleans where it caught fire with...

While researching the wonderful history of San Francisco for my first novel,  Equal and Alike,  I came across the most unusual story concerning the behavior of sailers who worked the deep water sailing vessels bringing precious cargo to The City in mid-19th century. ...