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An Ohio Argonaut’s Observations on the Church in Nicaragua
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 December 2015
Extract
President Polk’s message to Congress on December 5, 1848, informed that body—and thus the country—that the reports “of the abundance of gold” in California, though “of such an extraordinary character as would scarcely command belief,” had been “corroborated by the authentic reports of officers in the public service.” The President’s message touched off the gold mania in the East. There were, of course, by this time thousands in the “diggings,” but they were mostly from California or Oregon.
Most of the Argonauts traveled to California by the various overland trails, but many, especially from the East, went by sea. In 1849 almost all those who traveled by ship either went “round the Horn” or by water to Panama, across the isthmus, and then again by ship to California. In 1849 apparently only one group of gold seekers chose to cross Central America at Nicaragua rather than Panama. The next year, however, as reports came back of the various disadvantages of the all-water route and of the Panama crossing, more and more of the Argonauts turned to Nicaragua.
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- Copyright © Academy of American Franciscan History 1953
References
1 Richardson, James D., A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents, 1789–1905 (Washington, 1897–1907), IV, 636.Google Scholar
2 Lewis, Oscar, Sea Routes to the Gold Fields: The Migration by Water to California in 1849–1852 (New York, 1949), pp. 205–207.Google Scholar
3 Ibid., 201. The term “Argonaut” is used loosely; usually it is restricted to those who went to California in 1848 and 1849.
4 The original company consisted of something over one hundred men: about eight men left the company at New Orleans; eight died between New Orleans and Realejo; ninety-six sailed from Realejo to San Francisco.
5 This diary is in the possession of Mr. David Armstrong, R D No. 1, Evans City, Butler Co., Pa., who has generously given me permission to publish these excerpts.
6 Throughout the diary “they” is almost always written “the”; strangely, on several occasions “they” is written for “the”. With a few exceptions, missing letters and punctuation have not been supplied.
7 This church interested many of the Argonauts. In November, 1850, H. D. Pierce on the trip back to New York from California was also impressed, although judging from his statistics, not as strongly as Armstrong: “The Cathedral is an imence building being 350 feet long & 170 wide. The roof is built on Many arches, & the whole structure is brick & stone Morter & Sement. It was 18 years in building & cost $1,800,000.” Quoted in Lewis, op. cit., p. 211.
8 A week later (May 31) Armstrong wrote: “about 9 oclock at night there was a great deal of excitement in town, sum of the officers came to our quarters & towld us to have our arms in order for they are expecting a rebelion every day & they are loocking for the enemy in to night from Chinin daga [Chinandega]. every man that had a gun or pistol had them loaded but the enemey did not cum & we had no need to use them.”
9 This company was apparently “Gordon’s California Association,” organized by George Gordon of Philadelphia. The “Association” left New York on February 10, 1849, on the brig Mary with 136 passengers. The company spent about six months in Nicaragua; it was not until July 20 that it sailed from Realejo on the Laura Ann. Lewis, op. cit., pp. 205–207.