Gold! Gold! Gold! Gold! How Miners Protected It
From California’s gold rush to today, San Francisco has always been a thriving center of commerce and trade. It is no surprise that in April 2019 Supervisor Vallie Brown (5th District) announced that Amazon’s cashless Go stores in the city will begin accepting cash for purchases. Brown previously introduced an anti-cashless store law which didn’t apply to Amazon locations, but she expanded the proposal in March. That’s good news for those who like to pay with cash — though the 49ers who found and carried their treasures with them faced formidable foes who wanted to steal their gold.
SOCKING IT AWAY
How 49ers Protected Their Gold
by: Craig MacDonald
“Gold! Gold! Gold! Gold!
Price of many a crime untold,
How, oh how, can I protect my gold?”
Protecting hard-earned gold was a growing concern for miners in the 1850s. After thousands of immigrants descended upon the Sierra in a frantic search for riches, there was a dramatic increase in robberies, violence and other crimes.
Prospectors sought safe ways to protect and transport their gold. Being armed with a gun and knife didn’t necessarily “cut it” when it came to securing valuables. You could not even be near your “wealth” all the time, so Forty-Niners tried creative ways to hide their loot. Read the story…>
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