Top of page

Book/Printed Material A forty-niner speaks; a chronological record of a New Yorker and his adventures in various mining localities in California, his return trip across Nicaragua, including several descriptions of the changes in San Francisco and other mining centers from March 1849 to January 1851.

About this Item

Title

  • A forty-niner speaks; a chronological record of a New Yorker and his adventures in various mining localities in California, his return trip across Nicaragua, including several descriptions of the changes in San Francisco and other mining centers from March 1849 to January 1851.

Summary

  • Hiram Dwight Pierce (b. 1810) was a successful blacksmith in Troy, New York, when news arrived of gold discoveries in California. Leaving his wife and seven children behind, Pierce set out in March 1849, crossing the Isthmus to reach San Francisco. A forty-niner speaks (1930) prints the contents of notebooks kept by Pierce from the day he left Troy until his return in January 1851. He describes his journey west and work in the gold fields near Sacramento, the Stanislas mines, and the Merced River at Washington Flat, until his return home via Panama. Pierce offers an excellent account of the details of a prospector's life and the organization of miners' camps as business companies and local government units.

Names

  • Pierce, Hiram Dwight, 1810-
  • Meyer, Sarah Wiswall.

Created / Published

  • [Oakland, Calif., Keystone-Inglett printing co., 1930]

Headings

  • -  California--Gold discoveries
  • -  Voyages to the Pacific coast
  • -  Law--Political aspects--California
  • -  Business--California

Notes

  • -  Introduction signed, Sarah Wiswall Meyer.
  • -  Also available in digital form on the Library of Congress Web site.

Medium

  • 1 p.l., [5]-74 p. front., pl. facsim. 23 cm.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • F865 .P61

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 30032740

Rights Advisory

  • No known restrictions on publication. No copyright renewal found.

Online Format

  • image
  • pdf
  • online text

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

"California as I Saw It:" First-Person Narratives of California's Early Years, 1849-1900.

General Notice and Restriction Statement: The Library of Congress is providing access to these materials for educational and research purposes. The written permission of the copyright owners and/or other rights holders (such as publicity and/or privacy rights) is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item.

While the Library is not aware of any U.S. copyright or any other restrictions in this collection, some content may be protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.), and/or the copyright or neighboring-rights laws of other nations. Additionally, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by privacy and/or publicity rights.

Credit Line: Library of Congress, [appropriate source division as described in the bibliographic record]. For example: Library of Congress, General Collections; or, Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Pierce, Hiram Dwight, and Sarah Wiswall Meyer. A forty-niner speaks; a chronological record of a New Yorker and his adventures in various mining localities in California, his return trip across Nicaragua, including several descriptions of the changes in San Francisco and other mining centers from Marchto January 1851. [Oakland, Calif., Keystone-Inglett printing co, 1930] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/30032740/.

APA citation style:

Pierce, H. D. & Meyer, S. W. (1930) A forty-niner speaks; a chronological record of a New Yorker and his adventures in various mining localities in California, his return trip across Nicaragua, including several descriptions of the changes in San Francisco and other mining centers from Marchto January 1851. [Oakland, Calif., Keystone-Inglett printing co] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/30032740/.

MLA citation style:

Pierce, Hiram Dwight, and Sarah Wiswall Meyer. A forty-niner speaks; a chronological record of a New Yorker and his adventures in various mining localities in California, his return trip across Nicaragua, including several descriptions of the changes in San Francisco and other mining centers from Marchto January 1851. [Oakland, Calif., Keystone-Inglett printing co, 1930] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/30032740/>.