Gold Rushes: A Playful History

Lego Gold Rush

Recently, a great friend referred Toy Tech to an animation entitled Lego Gold Rush.

This one minute, twenty-eight second video poignantly portrays the golden hopes and granite disappointments associated with miner's fever. Life-giving and death-dealing circumstances are set within the Earth's heart, at once a king's chamber and robber's tomb.

The video also features our favorite Lego theme - Western. Watch it here:

When history promises climbs to wealth's highest mounts, but, too often, alas, delivers breathtaking plummets to valleys of ruin, a certain fascination lingers well after the events themselves. (It is estimated that during the last 400 years, less than 5% of gold prospectors have netted wealth from their search activities in excess of personal expenses.)

Gold Rushes, in archetypal fashion, provide drama without limit. They carry with them a reputation virtually synonymous with high adventure, comic relief, and, desperate adversity.

It is this marriage of golden dreams and shaded nightmares that is the subject of this essay.

Language

The term "rush" itself in modern parlance is used in a variety of ways.

"What a rush it was to finally understand that organic formula," Samantha might say.

Or, "It was a real rush when Billy was named team captain," a proud parent interjects.

And, "Terrell rushed for over 150 yards for the Cowboys last week," a delighted fan announces.

Or, "It is "rush" week for the sororities," a campus tour guide explains. "Sorority hopefuls are striving to impress the upper-class women of Delta Nu."

As important in a personal sense that these kinds of rushes might be, most have little life-changing impacts beyond the individuals involved.

However, that was not always so. When the word "rush" was whispered prior to the 20th century, the very soughing of the term seemed to sweep from depths unknown images of the sweetest kind. The indefatigable spirits of adventurers heard once again the siren sound.

Yukon Gold Rush

The following two film clips portray the playfulness of the human spirit. The ability of man to see comic relief in the face of the harshest realities is captured by Charles Chaplin in his own inimical way. Chaplin's subject: The Yukon Gold Rush of 1897.

See:

- and -

At least one million persons planned to abandon their desperately poor lives to trek to the Yukon. In actuality, it is estimated that the number of persons finally arriving in the Northern Territories (100,000) was uncannily similar to the total of hopeful souls who had trekked to California just 37 years earlier (1848-53). The difference was that, in California, Europeans comprised the bulk of the adventurers, while in the Canadian rush, the majority of prospectors were Americans attempting to escape the economic misery that was all too common in the US during the 1880's.

The Yukon Trail Summit Today

Some would-be miners were well provisioned, carrying with them as much as a ton and a half of equipment and supplies. Others arrived with nothing more than the summer clothes upon their backs.

Often young men, impoverished by the American economic downturn, were staked by their families who had sold everything to invest their hopes upon the shoulders of their sons.

Thousands died of the cold, found frozen with eyes open in the snow and ice. Others fell from high ridges that gave way or from which they simply tumbled, a consequence of the treacherous footing. (In many cases, what actually happened to loved ones was never determined. They simply disappeared.)

There were very few women who made the journey north. However, those who did were, for a variety of reasons, much more likely to "strike it rich" than their male counterparts.

See excellent Yukon Rush period photos with voice-over:

See 1958 Yukon Rush historical film:

It is estimated that five million ounces of gold were taken from the North during the Yukon Gold Rush.

As impressive as that number is, even today, large quantities of gold are still being harvested from the land.

Near Fairbanks, Alaska, for example, the Fort Knox mining operation removes three hundred thousand dollars worth of gold per day. That's approximately three standard gold bars, depending upon the world price of gold.

See explosion at Fort Knox gold mine, Alaska:

See: Snoopy taking on the spirit of the Klondike:

California Gold Rush

The rush to gold that had the most lasting impact on the political face of the North American continent was the California Gold Rush of 1848-53.

It was as a consequence of this rush to gold (combined with 12,000 of General Scott's American troops occupying Veracruz, Mexico, and a 15 million dollar purchase offer from the US to Mexico that Mexico was not allowed to refuse) that California became a US territory in 1848, and subsequently a State in 1850. (See colorful sketches)

Approximately 100,000 persons responded to the news that gold had been discovered at Sutter's Mill in California. Most of those who did respond were from places other than the United States, primarily Latin America, China, Europe and Australia.

Life was hard. However, since the weather in California is substantially better on average than that of the Arctic, far fewer corpses turned up, although the numbers lost to disease and violence were still depressingly large.

Miner and author Franklin Langsworthy summed it up when he wrote, "....the California Rush was a pilgrimage in a strange land, a banishment from good society, a living death, and a punishment of the worst kind, and the time spent here ought to be considered as a blank period in existence, and accordingly struck from the record of one's days." (The name Langsworthy is probably not destined to be affixed upon the logo of the California Chamber of Commerce.)

See: Historical photos of California Gold Rush with voice over:

Arltunga Gold Rush

Finally, in order to give credit due to rushes beyond the confines of North America, let us not forget a particular gold rush set in a location that couldn't be more different from, but assuredly equally as harsh, as the two locations thus far discussed. This was the rush to gold at Arltunga, Central Australia in 1886.

Central Australia is not one of the most dreary places on Earth, if one is unconcerned about maximally parched stony land for hundreds of miles, heat well in excess of 100 degrees for days on end, and, oh yes, the most poisonous and aggressive snakes on the planet. (Except for those sometimes cited impediments, Arltunga, Australia is a virtual Disneyland.)

See:

Snakes you ask? Yes, snakes we respond. The interior of that great Island harbors perhaps the most aggressively venomous snake in the world, the Inland Taipan (Photo), sometimes known simply as the Fierce Snake. One nip from a grumpy Fierce Snake contains enough venom to kill over 100 persons. The venom acts upon every system. It contains neurotoxins as well as hemotoxins in abundance.

However, just in case one doesn't wish to wait for the Interior, the Coastal Taipan (Photo) is even more deadly, if that were possible. There is also something else we need to know. That is, these snakes are swift, traveling up to 19 miles per hour in bursts.

The fastest human foot speed on record is (27.79 mph), seen during a 100 meter sprint (average speed between the 60th and the 80th meter) by Usain Bolt in 2009. Let's hope that the Taipans don't know that we can't keep it up for much more than 100 meters.

To be fair, despite their fierce appearance, no RECORDED human deaths have been attributed to the Taipan. On the other hand, if a miner were alone in the heart of the Outback, and tripped upon what he at first believed to be another inconveniently placed stone................well.

See Taipan video (does not play on the sensational):

Cookies and milk are looking better and better.

We must admit that gold rushes are exciting. They involve high expectations, and high adventure. And, they inevitably inspire a certain level of play, a universal phenomenon among creative men and women.

In that vein, next time in this space, we are going to discuss just that aspect of gold seeking, that is, play, and how in today's world, gold prospecting, the kind that can be done with just a pan, hammer, and scoop may serve as a wonderful outdoor recreation at a time when all too often we of the developed world prefer to seek adventure in front of computer screens.

However, before leaving the subject today, in case those who have read this article sense somehow that we have exhausted the material relative to gold rushes, you might wish to consider that the following gold rushes were every bit as exciting as those we have discussed thus far.



The Brazil Gold Rush of 1695



North Carolina Gold Rush of 1799



Georgia Gold Rush of 1829



British Columbia Gold Rush of 1850



Victorian Gold Rush of 1850 (Australia)



Northern Nevada Gold Rush from 1850 onward



Rock Creek Gold Rush (British Columbia) of 1858



Pikes Peak Gold Rush (Colorado) of 1859



Idaho Gold Rush of 1860



Cariboo Gold Rush (British Columbia) of 1862



Stikine Gold Rush (British Columbia) of 1863



Big Ben Gold Rush (British Columbia) of 1865



Omineca Gold Rush (British Columbia) of 1869



Wild Horse Creek Gold Rush (British Columbia) of the 1860's



Black Hills Gold Rush (South Dakota) of 1874



Easter Oregon Gold Rush of 1865



Central Otago Gold Rush (New Zealand) of 1861



Cassiar Gold Rush (British Columbia) of 1871



And, 27 (twenty-seven) more not listed, culminating with the Apui Gold Rush, Brazil of 2006.

Please return to this space for part two of Lego Gold Rush. In Part II, we will discuss how you too can find your share of adventure without damaging the environment in the least. LOTS OF E-X-P-L-O-S-I-V-E FUN JUST AROUND THE BEND.

Ron - Toy Tech

Saturday, 12:06 am | July 17th, 2010

Comments

Justin on Monday, 9:22 am | July 19th, 2010 :

I come back to this site at least once a month to read your articles.



I've never left a comment before; but, there is always a first time.



I hope that you are doing well from a selfish perspective. I would hate to see these great articles stop for any reason.



If there is anything I can do for you, let me know.

James on Monday, 6:08 am | September 6th, 2010 :

Too cute... enjoyed especially the rush of gold.



My kids keep asking to make stop motion videos of some of their toys... but now that they have a camera and can borrow my tripod, they finally GET how much work it is.