Copyright has not been assigned to The Society of California Pioneers. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Society of California Pioneers as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must be obtained by the reader.
Description
Copyright has not been assigned to The Society of California Pioneers. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Society of California Pioneers as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must be obtained by the reader Autobiography & Reminiscence of Almarin B. Paul, San Francisco, 1901. The Society of California Pioneers On May 14t 1849 Almarin B. Paul and his party left for California from St. Louis. Soon after reaching St. Joseph, Paul received news that the merchant he had hired to ship his hardware to California had backed out of their agreement, and Paul returned to St. Louis to retrieve his goods. Paul started on his journey to California again, this time sailing on a line vessel departing from New Orleans. After landing at Chagres they traveled to Panama via Gorgona. There they chartered the bark "Eugene" and left Panama on August 3, 1849, arriving in S.F. 3 months later. In S.F., Paul boarded the steamer "Senator" for its first trip to Sacramento, where he located his partner from St. Louis, Dr. Thomas J. White. By March of 1850, both men formed the firm of Paul and White in Sacramento, selling building hardware and then groceries. Paul formed a stock company, the "Yuba River Gold Dredging Company", which bought the steamboat "Linda" to dredge the rivers for gold. The boat sunk in the Sacramento River. In November 1850, Paul closed out his mercantile business and pursued mining Autobiographies and Reminiscences of California Pioneers, p. 164-203, Vol. 5. This is a typed transcript, bound into a volume, of the member's autobiographical reminiscence created as an institutional record for the Society of California Pioneers. This reminiscence includes a reference to a photograph of the member in a set of bound volumes. It appears that the photographs in this set were dispersed throughout the regular photography collection, but the photographs referenced in the related materials may or may not be these same photographs, but one photograph of Paul is included. Covering 1849-1851, the account discusses Paul's journey to California, travelers waiting to arrive in California, and the tension that existed on board his ship between the travelers and the captain. Paul also offers his impressions of San Francisco, cost of living expenses and the economy, the diverse population of S.F. and the changing landscape of the city. Paul offers a vivid description of his experience in Sacramento during a devastating flood, life in Sacramento, costs, the real estate boom, and competition between merchants. He was in Sacramento during two days of riots sparked by a dispute between settlers and land speculators. He writes of his relationship with General John A. Sutter and includes a warm description of the man.
Paul, Almarin B--1823-1909 Pioneers--California--Biography Voyages to the Pacific Coast Gold mines and mining--California--Sacramento Region Frontier and pioneer life Commerce--California--Sacramento--History Gambling--California California--Social life and customs--19th century Panama--Description and travel Panama--History San Francisco (Calif.)--History
Time Period
California -- Social life and customs -- 19th century Sacramento (Calif.) -- 1850
Place
Pioneers California Biography Gold mines and mining Sacramento Region. Commerce Sacramento History Gambling California. Social life and customs 19th century. Panama Description and travel San Francisco (Calif.) Sacramento (Calif.) 1850.
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