Once I picked this book up, I couldn't put it down. I finished it in a few days. The book is The Rush, America's Fevered Quest for Fortune, 1848 – 1853 by Edward Dolnick (2014). Mr. Dolnick wrote his book after consulting many diaries/journals of various participants in the Gold Rush, although he concentrated on 5 specific 49'res. Two made the trip west by sea and the other 3 by land. Two did very well and the other three made it back East with no real monetary gain.

This book is very appropriate for us Civil War reenactors since 8 years after the Gold Rush, the war breaks out. This is recent history for the citizens of 1861. In fact, a couple of 49'res are mentioned who eventually served or even died in the war. Lucius Fairchild, commander of the 2nd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, was a 49'er and is mentioned several times in the book.

The impact on the United States, especially California, was huge. “In the four years from 1849 to 1852, more than 1 percent of the American population moved to California. To put that number in terms of today's population, picture three million young Americans giving up their jobs, leaving their families, and rushing off to a barely known destination thousands of miles away.”

This book covers the discovery of the gold, the slow dispersal of the news back East, the long, arduous journey to the gold fields, and the back-breaking work itself. It follows the fortunes gained and lost. The book tells of the lives destroyed or broken by disease, accidents, and the lawless miner community itself. It a story of luck, avarice, ruthlessness, and hope. I can't recommend this book enough.

Submitted by Craig Decrane