Staking a Claim Page 12

  After that, Uncle disappeared on some errand, so I went back and asked the clerk if he could ask his contacts in San Francisco if they could find Esteban and his brothers. I was hoping that they had started a store there. If I can find Esteban, perhaps I might find Hiram and Brian, too.

  July 22

  I have to apologize to you, diary. I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had the time to even open your cover.

  By now we have tried thirty abandoned claims. We worked up one side of the river and then back down and along the streams. Three of them paid off.

  Today Uncle said it was time to go back down to Sacramento. I was all for trying another claim a kilometer to the north. Uncle said that it could wait. We were already a month late in celebrating an important anniversary.

  In my mind, I ran through the American and Chinese calendars. I couldn’t think of a festival, so I finally asked.

  Uncle tapped me on top of my head. It’s the anniversary of my arrival on the Golden Mountain!

  Has it been a year?

  It seems like just yesterday I was standing by Tiger Rock wishing I could stay.

  July 28

  Sacramento

  When we got to Sacramento’s Chinatown, the clerk was all smiles the moment he saw us. We’re old “friends” now.

  Uncle surprised me when he said it was time for a new wardrobe for himself and me. The clerk started rubbing his hands together and promised he would wait on us personally.

  I tried to protest that it was too soon to quit. However, Uncle told me firmly that it is time. The Americans in Califia are starting to get too suspicious. We aren’t going back.

  I thought of all that gold still lying around on the floors of all those abandoned shacks. And I begged for one more month.

  Uncle reminded me that we wanted what the gold can buy, not the gold itself. And we now have enough to do that.

  Uncle’s right, of course.

  I guess I did get the gold curse. It’s a real sneaky thing. I caught it without knowing it.

  Noon

  New haircuts and new outfits. I don’t recognize myself in the mirror. Uncle has promised me that we’ll have our pictures taken so we can send them home.

  Later

  We went to a man the clerk recommended. Though he’s American, he has Chinese costumes, so he must have done this for other Chinese. A lot of the stuff is what a rich Manchu would wear. I didn’t want to put it on, but Uncle said a rich man is a rich man. So I’ve humored him.

  I’ll have to apologize to Piggy if I ever see him. There really are cards that capture faces. Or rather, it’s not a card but a plate. Later, the image from the plate can be transferred to cards.

  Evening

  The clerk has given me Esteban’s address. He’s in a town called Monterey. I’m going to write him tomorrow.

  There was a letter from home, too. Finally.

  Uncle saved it until we had dinner. Over tea and fruit in the restaurant, Uncle opened the envelope. Inside was a letter wrapped around another envelope. He gave me that page because it had my name on it.

  As Uncle read the gossip in his letter, he chuckled occasionally or muttered something. Puzzled, I opened my envelope and unfolded the letter. The first part was from Mother:

  Dear Bright Intelligence,

  We are writing this letter to you through the kindness of your teacher. When you read this letter, it will become obvious why we could not use Blessing to write it for us.

  Your uncle has told us about your clever scheme and what you have done for all of us. I am so proud of you.

  When your father decided to send you overseas, I argued that neither of my boys should go. However, he reminded me of what a warrior you are.

  When you were born early, you were so tiny that the midwife did not think you would survive. But you fought to live.

  I love you and miss you very much. Come home soon.

  So I wasn’t nicknamed after the runt of the litter. It was because I had been born too soon.

  The next part was from Father. It began with a warning:

  Whatever you do, do not let Uncle read this

  letter.

  I knew if anyone could keep your uncle alive, it would be you. You and Blessing remind me of myself and your uncle when we were young. I’ve always had to watch out for him, just as you have looked out for Blessing.

  But you’ve far exceeded our hopes. Not only have you kept your uncle safe, but you’ve helped him make a fortune.

  In a letter, I can’t tell you how much we love you or thank you enough. Now that we’re rich, we want you to come home. Of course, it has to be all right with your uncle.

  I have been so wrong, thinking that they didn’t love me. So why do I feel like crying?

  Uncle was curious about my letter. So I carefully read him the safe parts. Later, when I had some time to myself, I could read it again.

  When I was finished reading my letter to him, Uncle looked sad. He said I should go home since my parents want it.

  For a whole year, I’ve been wishing to go home to China. I should be happy. But for some reason, I feel an awful ache inside.

  It’s ten times worse than when we fled the Fox’s claim and I thought I’d never see the gold country again. And it is a hundred times worse than when I left Tiger Rock.

  It’s crazy to feel this way.

  Still later

  Back in our room, I remembered that Uncle had said that I could go back. He didn’t say we. So I asked him if he was returning to China, too. Uncle said he’s going to open up the store and maybe look around the Golden Mountain a little more.

  He told me he’d gotten itchy feet. He’d like to know what’s around the next hill and the next bend in the river.

  Evening

  I can’t sleep. I keep remembering all the good people that I’ve met here on the Golden Mountain. And I’ve thought of the waterfalls and meadows and other wonders I have seen. Those are the real treasures. Not the gold.

  The Golden Mountain is like some food from a fairy tale. It fills you up wonderfully, but it always leaves you wanting more.

  And there are my friends, Hiram and Brian and Esteban. I’d miss them as much as I missed my clan at Tiger Rock. Maybe more. We are all dreamers, and we are all risk takers. They are my clan in spirit if not in blood.

  And though they came here only to get rich, they stayed to sink their roots. I’d feel like a coward if I went back to China now.

  It’s strange how things get turned backward on the Golden Mountain. Like the sawing stroke. Like the writing.

  Like my feelings.

  Night

  I’m too excited to sleep now. I keep thinking about what life would be like in Tiger Rock. There would be my books. But there a rich person can’t ride on a horse to waterfalls and meadows of flowers. That wouldn’t be dignified.

  There are a lot of things rich people aren’t supposed to do in China. You can’t even scratch when you itch. That kind of life would be tighter than a too-small jacket.

  Here on the Golden Mountain I am free. I can scratch all I want. And I can get all the books I want from San Francisco.

  I remembered what the Fox said that Christmas night. The Golden Mountain had caught me, too.

  I wondered if this is how the swans feel when they leave one home for another.

  And then it hit me.

  The swans have two homes. Why can’t I? Maybe I’ll go home for just a short visit. Then I’ll come right back to the Golden Mountain.

  I feel guilty about that. And a little scared, too. I’ve never disobeyed my parents in my life. And yet it was they who sent me here. I can’t help it if the Golden Mountain has gotten into my blood. I’m not just their son. I’m also a guest now.

  July 29

  This morning I told Uncle I want to go back to China for only a brief time. I really want to come back to him.

  He warned me that my parents will be upset, maybe even angry.

  But I told him it doesn’t
matter how mad they are. He is still the head of our family. If he orders me to return to the Golden Mountain, my parents will have to go along with it.

  Uncle gave a big sigh of relief. He said he’ll do just that. All I have to do is send him word when I want to come back to America. After all, he is used to having my parents scold him. He’ll take the blame. And be glad of it because he wouldn’t know what to do without his partner.

  I don’t know either.

  Runt returned to China. Though he had intended to be there for only half a year, his parents kept finding excuses for him to stay. So they drew out his “short visit” to four years. Unfortunately, Uncle Stone was right about Runt’s marriage prospects. Now that he was rich, many families were interested in him as a groom. Though he was still young, families began to ask about a possible match. Frantically, Runt got Uncle Stone to order his return to the Golden Mountain. Safely back in San Francisco, he met the native-born daughter of a Chinese merchant in Chinatown. When they were both eighteen they married and began to raise a large family. Runt never went back to China.

  Runt’s language skills, knowledge of other cultures, and friendships with non-Chinese made him a key figure in Chinatown. He was active in fighting the anti-Chinese laws that America began to pass. In Chinatown, it was said that though Runt never grew very tall, he cast a giant shadow.

  Uncle Stone never did go back to China, but stayed in California. He started numerous business and banking ventures, but he always sold his interest so he could start his newest scheme. As a result, he never stayed with any of his enterprises long enough to reap the fruits of success. Nonetheless, Chinatown respected him as a man with foresight. It was said that without him half of Chinatown wouldn’t have come into existence. He always had a place at his nephew’s table.

  Though Blessing never got to come to the Golden Mountain, three of his sons became guests.

  The Fox and his crew helped reclaim some 217,000 acres from the Sacramento delta. He later became a labor contractor, supplying Chinese workers for the many industries and farms that were starting up all over the West. He provided some of the 12,000 Chinese who helped build the transcontinental railroad. One of those was Prosperity, who then went on to help build many of the railroad branches. He never did repay what he owed the Fox, though.

  The Golden Mountain cast its spell on Runt’s friends as much as it did upon him. They all stayed in California. Though Esteban’s brothers returned to Chile, Esteban stayed in Monterey, where he worked his way up at a small hotel until eventually he owned it. Throughout, he retained his love of fishing and could often be found along the rivers or coast casting out his line.

  Brian chased various silver and gold strikes around the world. Good fortune always eluded him, however, until he came back to San Francisco. There his friendly ways made him a successful politician.

  Hiram became a farmer, finally settling in the rich fields of the Sacramento delta that the Fox and his crew had helped reclaim. He remained a staunch friend of the Chinese even in the middle of the anti-Chinese riots of the 1880s. He defied mobs and refused to fire his Chinese hired hands though his barn was burned down twice.

  Jubal and his master quickly ran into trouble in the gold fields. The American miners objected to working alongside a slave. After trying several districts, his discouraged master released Jubal, who found his way to San Francisco. There he apprenticed himself to a tailor. Later, he published his own newspaper, The Elevator, devoted to African American issues, and established friendships with several of San Francisco’s literary figures.

  On January 24, 1848, James Marshall discovered gold while constructing a sawmill for Captain John Sutter. Since John Sutter’s goal was to build his own colony in California, he and James Marshall tried to keep it secret. However, word leaked out and by the summer, cities like Monterey and San Francisco were deserted. Everyone had headed for places such as Coloma and Sonora and Hangtown (later renamed Placerville). Back east, people were skeptical until President James K. Polk confirmed the reports on December 5. Suddenly the rush was on.

  Since there was as yet no transcontinental railroad, Americans were forced to choose among several dangerous routes to California. One sea route went all the way around South America, but the storms at the tip, Cape Horn, often proved deadly. The shorter sea route was no less risky. Would-be prospectors landed on the Atlantic side of the Isthmus of Panama and walked to the Pacific side to board another ship. However, during the walk, it was possible to contract many diseases, including yellow fever. Even though a railroad was built across the Isthmus in 1855, the threat of illness remained.

  The land routes were just as hazardous, and yet many set out by wagon, by horse, and on foot. In their eagerness, they depended on poorly written guidebooks that often led to dangerous, even fatal, situations.

  Because of the gold discoveries, California became a state on September 9, 1850. There was little in the way of an American government there. No one was prepared for all the people flooding into the new state. By the end of 1849, some 89,000 had reached California by both land and sea. Lawlessness was widespread. Many miners became discouraged when the gold proved so difficult to find.

  The news went around the world. On almost every continent people jammed ships to reach California. Once there, sailors left their ships and joined the passengers to rush to the gold fields. The San Francisco anchorage was filled with abandoned ships. The pragmatic San Franciscans converted many of the ships into homes, hotels, and even a prison. Later, when they expanded the shoreline, they simply filled in the water around the ships. As a result, buried ships are still being unearthed today.

  People around the world took part in the gold rush. Mexicans joined the local Hispanic population. Australians came in a sizable contingent, as did Europeans and South Americans, especially Chileans. Southerners brought their slaves to the diggings as well.

  When the miners came to California in 1849, prices for food shot through the roof. A single egg could cost up to three dollars and an onion two dollars.

  Women were scarce in California at the time. However, the few women who made it to California were tough and resourceful. They founded many legitimate businesses and even prospected for gold. One even drove a stagecoach.

  Only the Native Americans failed to profit from the gold rush. A disguised form of slavery begun by the Spanish missions continued, and Native American women and boys were sold into slavery until 1863. When Native Americans tried to protect themselves, they were killed — sometimes in wholesale massacres. Bounties were offered for their scalps. In both 1851 and 1852, bounty hunters were paid a total of one million dollars for the scalps of Native Americans.

  A few Chinese had made their way to San Francisco before the gold rush. Life in China was very difficult; many were starving. Desperate for survival, people were willing to gamble their lives to reach California. By 1852, there were an estimated 25,000 Chinese there.

  Originally, the Foreign Miners’ Tax was aimed at all non-Americans, including Europeans. The license fee was set at twenty dollars a month, a high sum for many of the miners, who were barely surviving. Fights almost broke out between American and foreign miners over the tax. American merchants, afraid of losing so many foreign customers, protested. The fee was reduced, and eventually repealed.

  However, by 1852, the tax was reenacted because of negative feelings against the Chinese miners. Though the fee was set at three dollars a month, it was now collected from only the Chinese. In 1853, the fee was raised to four dollars and in 1856 to six dollars.

  Tax collectors were allowed to use force in order to obtain the money, part of which they kept. By 1862, eleven Chinese had been murdered by tax collectors. Only two collectors were ever convicted and hanged. Many districts gathered a large amount of money from the tax.

  In early California, non-whites had no legal protection. In 1849, a law was passed that said, “No black or mulatto person or Indian shall be permitted to give evidence in favor of
or against any white person.” Soon the California courts included Chinese in the law and refused to accept their testimony as well.

  An amazing amount of gold was found in California. In 1848, 11,866 troy ounces of gold were taken from the rivers and diggings at a value of $245,301. (There are twelve troy ounces to a pound.) In 1850, 1,996,586 troy ounces were taken, at a value of $41,273,106. The richest year of all time was 1852, with a total of 3,932,631 troy ounces at a value of $81,294,700.1

  However, the gold was taken at an enormous cost to the environment. Even to this day, it has left what one geologist has called “moonscapes” where no plants can grow. Between 1854 and 1884, hydraulic mining shifted 1.5 billion cubic yards of debris, the same as digging eight Panama Canals. Much of that debris moved down the rivers, choking the bays. It has thickened the floor of San Francisco Bay by one to two yards.2 Worse, quartz mining used mercury to extract the gold, poisoning the environment.

  For better or worse, the California gold rush transformed many lives here and abroad. A few miners returned home rich, but far more found themselves poorer than ever. Many miners stayed in California and made their homes there. They returned to farm the rich fertile fields which they had once ignored in their hurry to reach the gold fields. Or they went to the cities to become merchants or start factories. They became doctors and engineers, bankers and lawyers, writers and artists. In short, they became the people who helped build California.

  The Golden Mountain also forever changed the southern Chinese. They didn’t need gold, just American money, so they found other work here in America. In increasingly troubled times, their remittances were able to keep their families alive back in China.

  In an underpopulated state, these Chinese pioneers provided the raw, cheap labor that made California’s factories and large farms possible. Without the Chinese, California could never have developed so fast. Later, the Chinese helped build the transcontinental railroad, joining the two coasts forever.