Historian Nathaniel Philbrick details California Gold Rush impact in new book

National Book Award-winning historian Nathaniel Philbrick has released a new book titled “The Rush,” which examines the tumultuous period of the California Gold Rush.

Philbrick describes the Gold Rush as having micro-bursts within its first year, with rapid changes in supply and demand. For example, an oversupply of beef jerky imported from Chile led to the product becoming worthless, he said via Zoom from Nantucket, according to the Reading Eagle.

The book highlights the challenges faced by rapidly growing San Francisco, which lacked proper sidewalks and paved roads as gold seekers arrived by ship and stagecoach. Philbrick writes that dried beef jerky was even used to pave the muddy streets until rats consumed it, illustrating the improvisational nature of the city’s development at the time, the Saratogian reported.

Philbrick characterizes the era as one of trial and error, with people trying various ways to make money amid the chaos. He also notes that some individuals, such as James Lick, prospered by investing in land rather than mining, eventually becoming wealthy in California, according to The Mercury.