Life in the Diggings
Gold-rush California was a tumultuous place. Mark Twain aptly called it "a wild, free, disorderly, grotesque society!"
In their relentless pursuit of wealth, the Argonauts used a variety of mining methods. Some of their methods, such as hydraulicking, left ugly scars upon the land.
To introduce law and order into this chaotic society, Californians formed mining districts and drafted mining codes. In the cities, they formed vigilance committees. One enterprising Argonaut published a fanciful set of rules, The Miner's Ten Commandments
Many of the most successful gold-rush Californians were merchants who sold supplies to the miners. Mining the miners often proved to be a more lucrative enterprise than simply mining the gold. Sadly, many of the miners themselves failed to realize their dreams of wealth. Gold-rush songs such as "The Lousy Miner" are poignant reminders of the miners' loneliness and disappointment.
One of the finest eye witness accounts of the gold rush is a set of letters written by Dame Shirley, the pen name of Louise Amelia Knapp Smith Clappe. Dame Shirley realistically portrayed the hardships of life in the diggings, conditions that often were forgotten by those in later years who engaged in remembering the gold rush.