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 of thousands of gold seekers passed through San Francisco on the way to “diggings” that every single Argonaut prayed would bring vast wealth.
Some did strike it rich. A portion of those who did took their windfall and invested it in businesses or other activities to provide a cash flow that would sustain them for the remainder of their life.
Unfortunately, the vast majority failed to find sufficient gold to even provide a meager existence. A large number of people drug themselves back to San Francisco to get a job that could provide them with enough cash to get by, while they strategized how to get to another spot in the Mother Lode country to try their luck just one more time.
Then there were those who defied all odds and did gather gold in large quantities. A few got rich as easily as turning over a few shovel fulls of earth. These folks, like those who were not so lucky, made a beeline for San Francisco. Their return to The City was like a dignitary being escorted with pomp and circumstance. They were in a position to take advantage of all that San Francisco offered.
If we look into the psyche of those who left comfortable surrounding to endure incredible hardships to get to California, then to risk their lives in the wilderness, we see a personality type which is driven by adventure and risk.
The consequences of this personality trait lend themselves to gambling. What is more adventurous and risky than gambling? So naturally, a myriad ofcasinos opened for business in San Francisco.
Some of the gambling halls in San Francisco were the Veranda, The Eldorado and the second floor of the Parker House was used for gambling. Casino operators paid excessive rents to provide the tables for play. Canvas clad spaces of fifteen by twenty-five feet were leased for as much as $40,000, annually.
Ironically, whether pauper or rich, men gambled on just about anything. Those who had lots of money lost it. Those who had a little money lost it, also. You might say, the real winners of the search for gold in California were owners of gaming establishments, primally in San Francisco.
Gambling in San Francisco between 1849 and 1855 is a major theme in my novel, Equal and Alike. Join me in the adventure.