Original subtitles

Narrator: IN 1848, A CHANCE DISCOVERY

WOULD LAY THE FOUNDATION FOR THE AMERICAN EMPIRE.

GOLD!

OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS,

NEARLY 300,000 PEOPLE WOULD HEAD WEST

IN A HUNT FOR OVER $25 BILLION OF BURIED TREASURE.

[ ALL CHEERING ]

FOR SOME, IT WAS THE AMERICAN DREAM,

BUT FOR OTHERS, IT BECAME A NIGHTMARE.

Man: THIS IS CALIFORNIA -- THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG.

IF YOU WANT SOMETHING, YOU TAKE IT.

[ GUNSHOT ]

* TELL THEM THAT GOD'S GONNA STRIKE THEM DOWN *

* YOU MAY RUN FOR A LONG TIME *

* RUN ON FOR A LONG TIME *

* RUN ON FOR A LONG TIME *

* LET ME TELL YOU THAT GOD'S GONNA CUT YOU DOWN *

* YOU MAY RUN FOR A LONG TIME *

* RUN ON FOR A LONG TIME *

* RUN ON FOR A LONG TIME *

* LET ME TELL YOU THAT GOD'S GONNA CUT YOU DOWN *

Narrator: THIS IS THE STORY OF THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH.

-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

* LET ME TELL YOU THAT GOD'S GONNA CUT YOU DOWN *

[ INDISTINCT SHOUTING, GUNSHOTS ]

Man: FALL BACK! FALL BACK!

THEY'RE COMING.

Narrator: BY AUGUST OF 1850,

GREED HAD TRANSFORMED THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH

INTO AN ALL-OUT WAR,

WHERE THOUSANDS OF 49ers

DESPERATELY FOUGHT EACH OTHER FOR GOLD.

BUT JUST TWO AND A HALF YEARS EARLIER,

NO ONE HAD EVER EVEN HEARD OF CALIFORNIA.

IT HAD BEEN JUST OVER 70 YEARS SINCE THE COUNTRY WAS FOUNDED,

AND THE AMERICAN EXPERIMENT

WAS ON THE VERGE OF FINANCIAL COLLAPSE.

THE UNITED STATES HAS BEEN IN ESSENTIALLY A DEPRESSION

FOR A DOZEN YEARS.

THERE'S NO REAL GOOD WAY,

NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU WORK IN THE UNITED STATES,

TO GET AHEAD.

Narrator: ALMOST THE ENTIRE POPULATION OF 20 MILLION PEOPLE

LIVED ON THE EAST COAST,

WHILE THE WEST WAS A VAST, EMPTY WILDERNESS.

AND AT THE FURTHEST POINT AWAY SAT CALIFORNIA.

NOT EVEN YET A STATE,

CALIFORNIA WAS HOME TO BARELY 1,800 AMERICANS.

BACK THEN, ONLY A SELECT FEW WHERE BRAVE ENOUGH --

OR STUPID ENOUGH -- TO MAKE THE TREK WEST.

JAMES MARSHALL WAS AN ORDINARY GUY

WHO CAME TO CALIFORNIA TO START A NEW LIFE.

HE FOUND WORK BUILDING A SMALL SAWMILL

ON THE AMERICAN RIVER.

HE WASN'T LOOKING TO GET RICH,

BUT SOMETIMES THE MOMENTS THAT FOREVER CHANGE THE WORLD...

...ARE NOTHING MORE THAN ACCIDENTS.

ON JANUARY 24, 1848,

JAMES MARSHALL BECAME THE FIRST MAN

TO FIND GOLD IN CALIFORNIA.

OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS,

MARSHALL AND HIS MEN CONTINUE TO FIND GOLD,

AND THEY KEPT IT QUIET

SO THEY COULD HAVE IT ALL FOR THEMSELVES.

BUT THEN, MARSHALL MADE A HUGE MISTAKE.

[ HORSE WHINNIES ]

[ BELL JINGLES ]

[ BELL JINGLES ]

YOU STILL OWE ME FOR THE TOOLS.

WHERE YOU'D GET THAT?

CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET?

SAM BRANNAN WAS A 29-YEAR-OLD SHOPKEEPER,

AND HE HAD JUST LEARNED SOMETHING

THAT WOULD CHANGE HIS LIFE.

BUT HE DIDN'T IMMEDIATELY RUN INTO THE FIELDS

TO SEE IF HE COULD FIND GOLD.

INSTEAD, HE CAME UP WITH SOMETHING MORE MASTERFUL,

AND HE BET EVERY PENNY HE HAD ON IT.

BRANNAN BOUGHT EVERY SHOVEL, EVERY PAN,

EVERY MINING TOOL AROUND,

AND MADE SURE NO OTHER STORE FOR 1,000 MILES HAD ANY LEFT.

AND THEN HE STARTED THE SECOND PART OF HIS PLAN.

SAM BRANNAN WAS SOMETHING OF AN ENIGMATIC CHARACTER.

HE WAS PROBABLY AN OPPORTUNIST AS MUCH AS HE WAS ANYTHING ELSE.

[ HORSE WHINNIES ]

GOLD!

GOLD!

GOLD FOUND IN THE AMERICAN RIVER!

GOLD.

BRANNAN'S GOT BOTTLES FULL OF GOLD,

AND HE TAKES THOSE BOTTLES AND HE WAVES THEM IN THE AIR,

YELLING, "GOLD! GOLD!

GOLD FROM THE AMERICAN RIVER."

GOLD! GOLD. REAL GOLD!

GOLD!

Narrator: BRANNAN KNEW HE HAD A MONOPOLY ON SUPPLIES.

GOLD!

HE JUST NEEDED THE WORD TO SPREAD FAR ENOUGH

SO PEOPLE WOULD COME TO CALIFORNIA

AND HAVE TO BUY THOSE SUPPLIES...FROM HIM.

NEWS OF GOLD IN CALIFORNIA TOOK THE COUNTRY BY STORM.

READ ALL ABOUT IT!

HEADLINES SPLASHED ACROSS THE FRONT PAGES OF NEWSPAPERS

FROM CALIFORNIA ALL THE WAY TO NEW YORK CITY,

INSTANTLY GRABBING THE ATTENTION OF A POOR AND DESPERATE NATION.

PEOPLE ARE HEARING THESE STORIES FROM CALIFORNIA

OF PEOPLE PICKING UP, IN A MORNING,

MORE MONEY THAN THEY'D MAKE IN A YEAR.

AND THAT STARTS THIS EXPLOSION -- A FRENZY --

THAT SPREADS ACROSS THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES,

THAT IS KNOWN EVERYWHERE AS "GOLD FEVER."

Narrator: WITHIN WEEKS,

THOUSANDS OF PROSPECTORS DROPPED EVERYTHING

AND CRAMMED ONTO TRAINS AND RIVERBOATS.

GOLD HAS THIS "MYSTICAL POWER" ON MAN.

THEY VIEW GOLD AS THEIR WAY OUT,

THEIR WAY TO ESCAPE THEIR MUNDANE LIVING.

THEY JUST TAKE OFF.

THEY LEAVE FAMILY, THEY LEAVE THEIR SECURITY,

AND THEY GO CHASE THE GOLD.

Narrator: THEY RODE AS FAR WEST AS THEY COULD POSSIBLY GO,

BUT NO MATTER WHERE THEY CAME FROM,

THEY ALL ENDED UP IN THE SAME PLACE --

INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI --

THE START OF THE CALIFORNIA TRAIL

AND THE END OF CIVILIZATION.

AT VARIOUS TIMES IN AMERICAN HISTORY,

YOU COULD SAY, "THIS IS WHERE THE WEST BEGINS."

BUT IN 1849,

IT BEGAN SPECIFICALLY AT THE MISSOURI RIVER

AND AT PLACES LIKE INDEPENDENCE,

WHERE THERE WERE FOLKS

WHO COULD SELL YOU SORT OF THE LAST THING YOU NEED.

EVEN TODAY IN THE WEST, YOU'LL SEE SIGNS,

"LAST GAS FOR 117 MILES."

WELL, THIS WAS BASICALLY THE SAME THING --

LAST PROVISIONS FOR 1,200 MILES.

Narrator: TENS OF THOUSANDS OF GOLD PROSPECTORS

ARRIVED IN INDEPENDENCE,

PREPARED TO MAKE THE JOURNEY INTO THE GREAT UNKNOWN.

AMONG THEM WAS CHARLES ROBINSON,

A 31-YEAR-OLD DOCTOR FROM SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS,

WHO GAVE UP HIS PRACTICE TO GO FIND RICHES.

LITTLE DID HE KNOW THAT ONE DAY HE WOULD BECOME

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH.

BUT AT THAT POINT, HE WAS JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE,

A PROSPECTIVE MINER,

LOOKING FOR A GROUP OF 49ers TO JOIN UP WITH.

WHEN YOU VENTURED OUT WEST, YOU DIDN'T GO ALONE.

INSTEAD, MINERS TRAVELED IN COMPANIES

TO PROTECT AGAINST THE VIOLENCE OF THE TRAIL.

OVERLAND COMPANIES ARE ORGANIZED AS JOINT-STOCK COMPANIES.

THAT MEANS EVERYBODY PITCHES IN A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MONEY

AND THEY ALL AGREE TO SHARE THE PROFITS.

AND THEY'RE ALL GOING TO HELP EACH OTHER

IN THIS ENORMOUS UNDERTAKING OF GOING 2,000 MILES

ACROSS THE PLAINS AND MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS.

Narrator: ROBINSON HAD HIS EYE ON A COMPANY OUT OF BOSTON

HAVING GOTTEN WORD THAT THEY'D SUNK THEIR MONEY

INTO A HIGH-TECH GOLD-WASHING MACHINE,

ONE THAT PROMISED TO GIVE THEM AN EDGE IN THE GOLDFIELDS.

CAREFUL! CAREFUL!

THAT'S WORTH MORE THAN THE PAIR OF YOU.

YOU GOT ROOM FOR ONE MORE?

IT'S $300.

I'M A DOCTOR.

FOLLOW ME.

DOCTORS WERE PROBABLY THE MOST VALUED INDIVIDUALS --

YOU KNOW, BY PROFESSION -- ON THE TRAIL WEST.

IF YOU HAD SOMEBODY WHO HAD SET A BROKEN LIMB BEFORE,

THAT WAS REALLY HELPFUL.

GUNS WENT OFF BY ACCIDENT AND ON PURPOSE,

AND PEOPLE HAD GUNSHOT WOUNDS.

A DOCTOR COULD BE ENORMOUSLY IMPORTANT.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW WHO I AM, I AM CAPTAIN WEBBER.

I'M THE COMMANDING OFFICER OF THIS COMPANY.

THE JOURNEY TO THE GOLDFIELDS

IS NOT FOR THE WEAK OR FAINTHEARTED.

WE WILL BE TRAVELING THROUGH UNTAMED LANDS,

WHERE SCORCHING DESERTS, WILD ANIMALS,

AND INDIAN SAVAGES LIE IN WAIT.

NOT ALL OF YOU WILL COME BACK ALIVE,

BUT THOSE WHO DO WILL BE RICH MEN.

MAN UP!

Eymann: 49ers THAT WERE EMBARKING ON THE JOURNEY TO CALIFORNIA,

THIS WAS A GRAND ADVENTURE.

HYAH!

THEY LOOKED AT THIS AS THEIR BIG OPPORTUNITY,

AND YOU COULD SEE THERE WAS THIS SENSE

THAT THEY WERE PART OF A BIGGER MOVEMENT.

THAT WAS VERY MUCH A PART OF THE BEGINNING OF THE JOURNEY.

IT IS DANGEROUS BECAUSE SO MANY TIMES

THEY GO AFTER THE GOLD,

NOT KNOWING THE PROCESS BY WHICH TO GET THE GOLD.

THERE'S SO MUCH RISK.

IT'S UNBELIEVABLE THE LENGTHS AND THE HARDSHIPS

THAT MEN WILL ENDURE TO FIND GOLD.

Narrator: STARVATION, DISEASE, EVEN DEATH

WERE ALL THAT SEPARATED THESE MEN

FROM RICHES UNLIKE ANY THEY'D EVER SEEN.

MANY WOULDN'T MAKE IT BACK ALIVE,

BUT IT WAS A RISK THEY WERE WILLING TO TAKE.

Narrator: THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH WAS TRANSFORMING AMERICA...

AS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF HOPEFUL 49ers

SET OUT FOR THE WEST COAST.

SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE TRAVELED BY SHIP --

AN 8,000 MILE JOURNEY

AROUND THE SOUTHERN TIP OF SOUTH AMERICA

THAT COST THE MODERN EQUIVALENT OF $32,000.

ANYONE WHO COULDN'T AFFORD A TICKET

WENT OVERLAND ON A SIX-MONTH TREK ACROSS THE CONTINENT.

IT WAS THE START OF THE LARGEST MASS MIGRATION

THE COUNTRY HAD EVER SEEN.

[ BIRD CAWING ]

THE JOURNEY TO CALIFORNIA WAS DANGEROUS AND LONG,

AND SO GOING ALONE WAS A CERTAIN DEATH SENTENCE.

INSTEAD, PROSPECTIVE MINERS TRAVELED IN SMALL COMPANIES,

LIKE THE CALIFORNIA MUTUAL PROTECTION ASSOCIATION --

A GROUP OF 40 MEN FROM MASSACHUSETTS --

THAT WAS BETTER KNOWN AS BOSTON COMPANY.

AS WE KNOW FROM THE COMPANY'S MANIFEST,

BOSTON COMPANY WAS BUILT LIKE EVERY OTHER OUTFIT ON THE TRAIL,

ORGANIZED AROUND A NUMBER OF KEY POSITIONS.

EACH COMPANY HAD A DOCTOR.

FOR BOSTON COMPANY, THAT WAS CHARLES ROBINSON,

SOMEONE WHO COULD KEEP THE MEN ALIVE AND WELL ON THE TRAIL

AND OUT IN THE GOLDFIELDS.

EVERY COMPANY HAD A HIRED GUN.

FOR BOSTON COMPANY, THAT WAS WILLIAM WALKER...

...A MAN WHO HAD BEEN A MERCENARY IN SEVERAL WARS.

MOST COMPANIES HAD A GOLD EXPERT.

FOR BOSTON COMPANY, IT WAS SYLVESTER EDGERLY,

A JEWELER WHO UNDERSTOOD THE PROPERTIES OF GOLD

AND KNEW HOW TO FIND IT.

AND THEN THERE WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT POSITION OF ALL --

THE COMPANY LEADER.

FOR THE MOST PART, THESE WERE MEN WHO'D ALREADY BEEN OUT WEST

AND KNEW THE LAY OF THE LAND,

MEN LIKE JOHN WEBBER,

A FORMER MAJOR IN THE MASSACHUSETTS STATE MILITIA

WHO HAD FOUGHT IN THE MEXICAN-AMERICAN WAR

JUST YEARS EARLIER.

IF YOU HAD SOMEBODY WITH MILITARY EXPERIENCE,

YOU KNOW, THAT WAS ALWAYS REASSURING

IF ONLY BECAUSE THEY KNEW HOW TO HOLD THEMSELVES

AND TO COMMAND.

Narrator: BUT THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE IN THE COMPANY

WERE JUST WIDE-EYED YOUNG MEN,

LOOKING FOR AN EASY WAY TO GET RICH.

Brands: CALIFORNIA GAVE THEM THIS OPPORTUNITY

TO GO OFF IN AN ADVENTURE.

THEY KNOW THERE'S NO GUARANTEE THAT THEY'RE GONNA MAKE IT,

BUT THESE ARE FOLKS WHO ARE WILLING TO TAKE A CHANCE.

Narrator: HAVING A WELL-ORGANIZED COMPANY

OFFERED PROTECTION ALONG THE ONLY ESTABLISHED OVERLAND ROUTE

TO THE WEST COAST -- THE CALIFORNIA TRAIL --

A PATH THAT CUT THROUGH SOME OF THE MOST DANGEROUS TERRITORY

IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE.

ANIMAL ATTACKS, HARSH ELEMENTS, AND DEADLY DISEASE

KILLED AN ESTIMATED 20,000 TRAVELERS

BEFORE THEY EVER REACHED CALIFORNIA,

OR ROUGHLY ONE DEATH FOR EVERY 500 FEET ON THE TRAIL.

NOBODY REALLY UNDERSTOOD WHAT THE WEST WAS GOING TO BE LIKE.

THE WEST WAS AS ALIEN TO TRAVELERS

AS THE SURFACE OF MARS WOULD BE TO US.

Narrator: THE BEST THING A COMPANY COULD DO

WAS KEEP MOVING, NOT JUST FOR SAFETY,

BUT BECAUSE MINERS WERE ALREADY STARTING TO SHOW UP

IN CALIFORNIA.

THOUSANDS OF MILES TO THE WEST OF BOSTON COMPANY,

A MASSIVE TRANSFORMATION WAS UNDER WAY.

WHILE THE OVERLANDERS WERE STILL STUCK ON THE TRAIL,

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MINERS TRAVELING BY SEA

WERE DESCENDING ON THE SMALL PORT OF SAN FRANCISCO...

...WHICH WAS QUICKLY BECOMING A BOOMTOWN.

AND IT WAS ALL THANKS TO THE VISION OF ONE MAN.

IN THE MONTHS SINCE HE HAD SINGLE-HANDILY

SPARKED THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH,

SAM BRANNAN HAD WATCHED THE PIECES OF HIS MASTER PLAN

FINALLY FALL INTO PLACE...

AS THE POPULATION OF SAN FRANCISCO EXPLODED

BY OVER 1,200% IN JUST UNDER A YEAR.

SAN FRANCISCO WAS THE CITY THAT GOLD BUILT.

WITHIN JUST MONTHS, IT BECAME A CITY OF 15,000,

THEN 20,000, THEN 50,000 PEOPLE.

IT'S PROBABLY THE INSTANCE

OF THE FASTEST URBAN GROWTH IN AMERICAN HISTORY.

Narrator: SAM BRANNAN'S STORE WAS THE ONLY ONE OF ITS KIND IN CALIFORNIA.

EVERY FORTUNE SEEKER STOPPED TO STOCK UP ON SUPPLIES

BEFORE HEADING OUT INTO THE GOLDFIELDS.

$4.50 RIGHT THERE.

NOW, YOU KNOW THOSE ARE $2 APIECE?

THOSE LANTERNS ARE $2 APIECE.

ALL RIGHT, SIR, WHAT DO YOU GOT THERE?

FOR THE MAN WHO STARTED THE GOLD RUSH,

BUSINESS WAS BOOMING.

NOW, HOLD ON, SIR. HOLD ON, SIR. HANG ON.

BRANNAN HAD EVEN FOUND A WAY

TO STAVE OFF ANY POTENTIAL COMPETITION.

HE'D ROW OUT TO INCOMING SHIPS, FIND OUT WHAT THEY HAD ON BOARD,

MAKE THEM AN OFFER FOR THE CARGO,

IF HE KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE WORTH A LOT,

AND BUY IT.

HE WAS A COMPLETE OPPORTUNIST.

Narrator: BEFORE LONG, BRANNAN'S STORE WAS BRINGING IN

THE MODERN EQUIVALENT OF $2 MILLION A MONTH.

Kurutz: HE WAS ABLE TO SELL THINGS AT TREMENDOUS PROFITS.

THINGS THAT COST 25 CENTS IN NEW YORK CITY,

WOULD NOW COST $10 AT BRANNAN'S STORE.

Narrator: SAM BRANNAN

WAS THE FIRST MILLIONAIRE WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI

IN AMERICAN HISTORY.

AND THERE WERE THOUSANDS OF MINERS

WHO WERE STILL NOWHERE CLOSE TO CALIFORNIA.

BACK IN THE PLAINS,

BOSTON COMPANY

WERE STILL ON THE EARLY LEG OF THE CALIFORNIA TRAIL,

WHICH RAN ALONGSIDE THE PLATTE RIVER,

A BROAD AND FAST-MOVING WATERWAY

THAT CUT 300 MILES ACROSS THE FUTURE STATE OF NEBRASKA.

BUT THE TRAIL DIDN'T JUST RUN NEXT TO THE RIVER.

AT TIMES, YOU HAD TO CROSS IT.

[ HORSE NEIGHS ]

WHAT THE HELL? WHY ARE WE STOPPED, WALKER?

[ HORSE NEIGHS ]

WHAT'S THE HOLDUP, CAPTAIN?

WE HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE FERRY CROSSING.

THE ONLY WAY TO GET ACROSS THE RIVER WAS BY FERRY.

COMPANIES WERE FORCED TO SHELL OUT

THE MODERN EQUIVALENCE OF $6,000

FOR A RIDE ON A MAKESHIFT BARGE.

BUT THERE WERE ONLY A HANDFUL OF FERRIES

FOR THE THOUSANDS OF WAGONS,

AND BOSTON COMPANY WAS NOW STUCK IN A LINE OVER 10 MILES LONG --

A TRAFFIC JAM THAT COULD TAKE WEEKS TO CLEAR.

[ SIGHS ]

I'D SUGGEST WE FIND ANOTHER ROUTE.

NO, WE STICK TO THE TRAIL.

Eymann: THERE WERE A LOT OF GROUPS THAT WOULD DISAGREE

ABOUT THE ROUTES THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO TAKE.

THEY WOULD DISAGREE WHETHER THEY WERE GONNA HEAD NORTH OR SOUTH,

AND THAT'S WHERE IT'S DIFFICULT TO TRAVEL IN A COMPANY.

Narrator: ADDING FUEL TO THE FIRE,

THE MEN WERE FORCED TO COME FACE-TO-FACE WITH A NEW REALITY.

THE FIRST PROSPECTORS WERE RETURNING EAST,

BRINGING WITH THEM

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF GOLD.

THAT, MY FRIEND, WILL BE US IN SIX MONTHS.

WE'RE ALL GONNA BE RICH MEN.

THIS AIN'T THE ONLY ROUTE TO CALIFORNIA.

I SAY WE FIND ANOTHER.

I TOLD YOU, WALKER, WE STICK TO THE TRAIL.

LET'S PUT IT TO THE VOTE.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR

OF FINDING A QUICKER WAY TO THE GOLDFIELDS,

RAISE YOUR HAND.

YAH!

THE DECISION TO GO OFF THE CALIFORNIA TRAIL

WAS A HUGE RISK.

IT COULD GET THE COMPANY TO THE GOLDFIELDS FASTER,

BUT IT ALSO SENT THEM RIGHT INTO THE HEART

OF THE MOST DANGEROUS TERRITORY IN THE WEST.

Narrator: THE GOLD RUSH WAS PULLING AMERICA WEST

FASTER THAN ANYONE COULD HAVE EVER IMAGINED.

MOST OF THE HOPEFUL 49ers TRAVELED ALONG

THE WELL-ESTABLISHED CALIFORNIA TRAIL.

BUT THEN THERE WERE SOME

WHO WERE DARING ENOUGH TO SET OFF ON THEIR OWN.

AMONG THEM WAS THE BOSTON COMPANY.

NOW HUNDREDS OF MILES FROM THEIR FELLOW PROSPECTORS,

THE COMPANY WAS TREKKING

DEEP INTO THE HEART OF INDIAN TERRITORY.

Brands: THE INDIANS WERE NEVER A REAL THREAT ON THE TRAIL,

BECAUSE HERE WAS THIS MASS OF PEOPLE HEADING OUT TO THE WEST,

AND AS LONG AS THEY KEPT GOING,

THE INDIANS REALLY DIDN'T BOTHER THEM.

Narrator: BUT OFF THE TRAIL,

OVERLAND COMPANIES WERE ISOLATED AND VULNERABLE --

EASY TARGETS FOR THE TRIBES WHO CALLED THESE LANDS HOME.

Man: HOLD!

HOLD!

WHY DON'T THEY ATTACK?

Robinson: I DON'T KNOW.

THE GREATEST FEAR OF THE OVERLAND IMMIGRANT

WAS AN INDIAN ATTACK,

AND ANYTIME THEY SAW INDIANS OFF IN THE DISTANCE --

COMANCHES, CHEYENNES, WHAT HAVE YOU --

THAT WAS A GREAT MOMENT OF TERROR.

Narrator: BLOODY SCALPINGS, MIDNIGHT MASSACRES --

EVERY TRAVELER HAD HEARD THE STORIES.

AS BOSTON COMPANY MEMBER WILLIAM WALKER RECORDED

IN HIS JOURNAL IN AN ENTRY MARKED JUNE 5, 1849,

"A RUMOR CAME UP TODAY THAT AN OHIO COMPANY WAS ATTACKED

BY THE INDIANS BEHIND US.

SEVERAL KILLED."

[ WOLF HOWLING ]

[ RUSTLE ]

[ GASPS ]

TAKE COVER!

[ HORSE NEIGHING ] WHERE'S MY GUN?

[ GUN CLICKS ]

[ SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY ]

[ BIRD CAWING ]

Narrator: AS MORNING BROKE,

THE EXTENT OF THE RAID CAME TO LIGHT.

THREE MEN WERE DEAD,

AND THE SURVIVORS PICKED THROUGH

WHAT LITTLE THE INDIANS LEFT BEHIND.

MORE THAN HALF THEIR FOOD SUPPLY WAS GONE,

AND THEY WERE LEFT WITH ONLY TWO WAGONS.

Webber: WE ONLY TAKE WHAT WE NEED!

PROVISIONS, SUPPLIES ON THE WAGON!

COME ON, LET'S MOVE IT!

WE GOT TO GET MOVING!

Narrator: THE ONLY GOOD NEWS

WAS THAT BOSTON COMPANY STILL HAD THEIR GOLD WASHER.

THAT GAVE THE MEN JUST ENOUGH HOPE TO GET THEM GOING AGAIN.

BUT THE LAST LEG OF THEIR JOURNEY

WAS ALSO THE MOST DANGEROUS...

BECAUSE BETWEEN THERE AND THE GOLDFIELDS

LIED THE MIGHTY SIERRA NEVADAS.

Bagley: YOU'VE COME 1,850 MILES.

YOU'VE TESTED YOURSELF TO THE ULTIMATE LIMIT,

AND NOW YOU HAVE TO CROSS

THE TOUGHEST MOUNTAIN RANGE IN THE UNITED STATES.

Narrator: 40,000 SQUARE MILES

OF IMPENETRABLE, WALL-TO-WALL MOUNTAINS

SHOOTING OVER TWO MILES STRAIGHT UP --

THE HIGHEST PEAKS IN THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES.

MANY HAD DIED TRYING TO CROSS.

JUST TWO YEARS EARLIER,

87 SETTLERS HEADING TO CALIFORNIA

WERE TRAPPED IN THESE SAME MOUNTAINS

DURING THE BRUTAL WINTER OF 1847 --

THE INFAMOUS DONNER PARTY.

NEARLY HALF THE GROUP EITHER FROZE OR STARVED TO DEATH.

AND MANY OF THE SURVIVORS WERE FORCED TO RESORT TO CANNIBALISM.

NOW, DESPERATE TO AVOID THE SAME FATE,

BOSTON COMPANY AND THOUSANDS OF OTHER 49ers,

HAD TO FIND NEW WAYS TO NAVIGATE THE HAZARDOUS TERRAIN.

THE PEAKS ARE MADE OF GRANITE,

AND THEY'RE VIRTUALLY STRAIGHT UP AND DOWN.

YOU ESSENTIALLY HAVE TO HAUL YOUR WAGON

UP OVER A GRANITE ESCARPMENT --

VERY DANGEROUS TREK.

Narrator: FOR SIX LONG WEEKS,

BOSTON COMPANY CARRIED THEIR WAGONS

THROUGH THE TREACHEROUS MOUNTAIN PASSES.

AFTER THIS INCREDIBLE ORDEAL,

YOU FINALLY ARE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SIERRAS,

AND YOU COME UP ON A RISE,

AND YOU'RE IN THE GOLDEN LAND.

Narrator: EIGHT MONTHS AND 18 DAYS AFTER LEAVING CIVILIZATION,

BOSTON COMPANY HAD FINALLY MADE IT TO CALIFORNIA.

Turin: IT WAS SUCH A LONG JOURNEY.

IT WAS SUCH A LONG PROCESS TO GET TO THE ACTUAL MINING PART,

AND THERE'S THE DOUBTS --

"WILL I REALLY FIND GOLD? WILL I BE A FAILURE?

WILL I HAVE TO COME BACK HOME AND GO BACK TO MY OLD JOB?"

YOU STILL DON'T KNOW FOR SURE, UNTIL YOU DIG IT UP,

IF THERE'S GOLD IN THE GROUND.

Narrator: THEY'D ALREADY BEEN THROUGH HELL,

BUT THAT WAS NOTHING

COMPARED TO WHAT THEY WERE ABOUT TO ENCOUNTER IN THE GOLDFIELDS.

Narrator: BY LATE SUMMER OF 1849,

THE GOLD RUSH HAD CAUSED THE POPULATION OF CALIFORNIA

TO SKYROCKET FROM 1,800 TO NEARLY 75,000 SETTLERS

IN JUST A YEAR.

AMONG THE NEW ARRIVALS WAS BOSTON COMPANY.

AFTER EIGHT GRUELLING MONTHS AND OVER 3,000 MILES,

THE COMPANY NOW FOUND THEMSELVES IN A WHOLE NEW WORLD.

THEY PAID THEIR DUES ON THE TRAIL...

...AND NOW IT WAS TIME TO GET RICH.

BUT BY THE TIME BOSTON COMPANY ARRIVED,

THE GOLDFIELDS WERE ALREADY PACKED WITH PROSPECTORS,

AS NEARLY ALL OF THOSE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF NEW PEOPLE

WERE CRAMMED INTO THE SAME 13 MILES

AROUND THE AMERICAN RIVER.

Turin: YOU HAVE TO BE A PERSON WITH A HIGH-RISK TOLERANCE

TO GO INTO GOLD MINING.

I THINK YOU COULD PROBABLY DO BETTER IN THE STOCK MARKET

THAN YOU CAN GOLD MINING,

BECAUSE ONCE YOU DO YOUR DUE DILIGENCE,

ALL OF THE GOOD GOLD CLAIMS, ALL OF THE EASY GOLD,

HAS BEEN FOUND.

Narrator: BOSTON COMPANY WAS FORCED TO STAKE THEIR CLAIM

IN THE HEART OF THE CROWDED GOLDFIELDS,

WHICH WERE NOW AS DENSELY POPULATED

AS A LARGE EAST COAST CITY.

BUT THE MEN WERE FEELING CONFIDENT.

THEY STILL HAD THEIR SECRET WEAPON,

ONE THAT PROMISED TO GIVE THEM AN EDGE OVER EVERYBODY ELSE.

COMPANY B, LET'S UNLOAD THIS WASHER!

COMPANY B!

IT COST THEM A FORTUNE,

AND THEY'D SPENT MONTHS HAULING IT ACROSS THE COUNTRY...

CAREFUL WITH THAT.

BACK! BACK! BACK!

...GUARDING IT AGAINST SURPRISE ATTACKS,

RISKING LIFE AND LIMB,

AND NOW, IT WAS ALL ABOUT TO PAY OFF.

GOLD WASHER.

Webber: "WEALTH AWAITS."

WEALTH?

WEALTH AWAITS!

[ LAUGHTER ]

Eymann: BOSTON COMPANY BELIEVED THAT THEY HAD

A NEW WAY THAT THEY COULD GET MORE GOLD

AND THAT THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO GET RICH QUICKER

BECAUSE THEY HAD THIS TECHNOLOGY WITH THEM.

[ ALL CHEERING ]

Narrator: AS THE GOLD WASHER STARTED WORKING,

IT LOOKED LIKE BOSTON COMPANY

WAS ON THE VERGE OF STRIKING IT RICH.

MEANWHILE, IN SAN FRANCISCO,

SAM BRANNAN WAS OPERATING ON A WHOLE NEW LEVEL.

IN THE TIME IT TOOK BOSTON COMPANY

TO CROSS THE CONTINENT,

BRANNAN HAD BUILT AN EMPIRE.

THE ONCE STRUGGLING SHOPKEEPER

WAS NOW THE KING OF CALIFORNIA.

Man: LAST WEEK, TWO OUNCES OF GOLD BOUGHT FOUR PICKAXES,

AND THIS WEEK IT ONLY BUYS TWO.

[ SIGHS ]

IT'S NOT THAT THE PRICE OF THE PICKAXE HAS GONE UP,

IT'S THAT THERE'S GOLD EVERYWHERE,

SO THE VALUE OF GOLD HAS GONE DOWN.

Bagley: THE PEOPLE WHO WERE MAKING THE MONEY

WERE MINING THE MINERS,

AND NOBODY WAS MINING THE MINERS LIKE SAM BRANNAN.

Narrator: BRANNAN'S STORE WAS THE ONLY ONE OF ITS KIND IN CALIFORNIA,

WHICH MEANT HE COULD CHARGE WHATEVER HE WANTED.

A POUND OF BEEF COST THE MODERN EQUIVALENT OF $500.

$700 FOR A PAIR OF BOOTS.

$2,600 FOR A BLANKET.

COSTS WERE SO HIGH,

IT WAS CHEAPER TO SEND YOUR DIRTY LAUNDRY

TO BE CLEANED IN HAWAII AND THEN SHIPPED BACK

THAN IT WAS TO HAVE IT WASHED IN ONE OF BRANNAN'S ESTABLISHMENTS.

FOR BRANNAN, IT WAS THE PERFECT SCHEME.

WITH NO OTHER OPTIONS,

EVERY COMPANY IN THE GOLDFIELDS

HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO GO ALONG WITH IT,

AND BOSTON COMPANY WAS NO EXCEPTION.

AFTER MONTHS ON THE TRAIL,

THEY NEEDED TO STOCK UP ON FOOD AND SUPPLIES.

It's $25.

[ PAN CLANGS ]

WE'RE LEAVING.

Narrator: CHARLES ROBINSON HAD SEEN MEN LIKE SAM BRANNAN BEFORE --

SOMEONE WILLING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OTHERS

FOR HIS OWN PERSONAL GAIN.

BUT WHAT ROBINSON HAD NO WAY OF KNOWING

WAS THAT IN LESS THAN TWO YEARS,

HE AND BRANNAN WOULD BE LOCKED IN AN EPIC BATTLE

FOR CONTROL OF THE GOLDFIELDS --

ONE THAT WOULD SHAPE CALIFORNIA AND REDEFINE AMERICA FOREVER.

Narrator: DURING THE GOLD RUSH,

SOME METHODS FOR FINDING GOLD WERE BASED ON SCIENCE...

OTHERS WERE NOT.

THERE WERE MINERS WHO COVERED THEMSELVES IN OIL

TO SEE WHAT THEY COULD PICK UP...

...AND OTHERS WHO WASTED THEIR MONEY BUYING BOGUS GADGETS.

AND THEN, THERE WERE THE FORTUNE-TELLERS...

...OR, AS WE CALL THEM, CON MEN.

IT'S SAFE TO SAY THAT NONE OF THESE METHODS PANNED OUT.

BY SEPTEMBER OF 1849,

THE GOLD RUSH WAS LESS THAN A YEAR OLD,

AND ALREADY, THE MODERN EQUIVALENT

OF OVER $5 BILLION WORTH OF GOLD

HAD BEEN PULLED OUT OF THE GROUND.

BUT AS THOUSANDS OF NEW 49ers

DESCENDED ON CALIFORNIA EVERY DAY,

THE GOLD WAS GETTING HARDER TO COME BY.

THE COMPETITION WAS HEATING UP.

THERE WAS A SENSE THAT WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER

AND WE SHOULD HELP EACH OTHER OUT.

THAT CHANGED AS IT BECAME MORE AND MORE DIFFICULT

TO MAKE MONEY.

Narrator: WITH ALL THE COMPETITION,

BOSTON COMPANY KNEW THEY NEEDED AN EDGE.

AND THEY WERE CERTAIN THEY HAD IT...

WITH THE GOLD WASHER.

JUST AS SOON AS THE GOLD RUSH STARTED,

TOP ENGINEERS BACK EAST BEGAN DEVELOPING NEW DEVICES

THAT PROMISED TO PROCESS DIRT

UP TO 10 TIMES FASTER THAN A MINER COULD WITH A PAN.

BUT NO MATTER HOW NEW THE TECHNOLOGY,

THE TECHNIQUE WAS BASED ON THE SAME AGE-OLD PRINCIPLE --

GOLD IS HEAVIER THAN DIRT.

SHAKE A BUCKET OF GRAVEL AND WATER AROUND LONG ENOUGH,

AND EVENTUALLY THE GOLD WILL SINK TO THE BOTTOM.

THE WASHER JUST ACCELERATED THE PROCESS...

...OR AT LEAST THAT WAS THE IDEA.

WITH THE COST OF LIVING IN CALIFORNIA SO HIGH,

MINERS HAD TO DIG UP AN OUNCE OF GOLD A DAY

JUST TO BREAK EVEN.

BUT AFTER WEEKS WITH THE GOLD WASHER,

BOSTON COMPANY STILL HADN'T FOUND ANY GOLD.

HEY! I SAY WHEN IT GOES.

SORRY, WALKER.

THE COMPANY WAS STARTING TO WONDER

IF THE MACHINE THEY HAD CARRIED OVER 3,000 MILES TO CALIFORNIA,

WHICH MEN GAVE THEIR LIVES TO PROTECT,

WASN'T QUITE THE SECRET WEAPON THEY HAD HOPED FOR.

KEEP IT TURNING!

I'M TRYING.

PUT SOME MUSCLE IN IT.

IT'S STUCK.

DOC, CHECK THE AUGER.

DAMN. KEEP IT MOVING!

Ware: THERE'S NO GUARANTEE IN ANYTHING IN MINING.

YOU CAN SPEND TOO MUCH MONEY ON EQUIPMENT,

AND IF YOU'RE NOT KNOWING WHAT YOU'RE DOING,

YOU'RE JUST WASTING YOUR MONEY AND YOU'RE NOT GETTING ANY GOLD.

YOU'RE JUST TURNING WHEELS.

HOLD IT. CHECK THE TRAY.

Kurutz: THESE MINING CONTRAPTIONS THAT WERE BROUGHT TO CALIFORNIA,

PEOPLE REALIZED THAT THESE THINGS DON'T DO ANY GOOD.

NONE OF THEM REALLY WORKED, BUT PEOPLE WERE GULLIBLE.

Narrator: IT WAS BECOMING CLEAR

THAT THE ENGINEERS WHO DESIGNED THE MACHINE BACK EAST

DIDN'T KNOW A THING ABOUT GOLD MINING.

Turin: WHEN YOU TOIL AND SWEAT AND HAVE THE UPS AND DOWNS

AND YOU GO THROUGH IT WITH A GROUP OF GUYS,

IT CAN EITHER SEPARATE AND FRACTURE

AND YOU CAN BECOME ENEMIES,

OR YOU CAN BECOME, WHAT WE CALL, A BAND OF BROTHERS.

YOU JUST NEVER KNOW.

WHAT'S WRONG?

IT NEEDS A NEW COGWHEEL.

WHERE CAN YOU GET ONE OF THOSE FROM?

BOSTON.

THAT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN.

YOU'RE JUST GONNA HAVE TO FIX IT YOURSELF.

WALKER, YOU CAN HELP HIM.

YOU DO IT.

WHAT DID YOU SAY?

YOU DO IT.

[ CHUCKLES ]

HEY! HEY! WALKER, DON'T!

Narrator: HIGH IN THE FOOTHILLS OF THE SIERRA NEVADAS,

ALONG THE AMERICAN RIVER,

BOSTON COMPANY HAD REACHED A BREAKING POINT.

HEY. HEY. HEY. HEY.

THE COMPANY'S HIRED GUN, WILLIAM WALKER, HAD HAD ENOUGH.

[ SPITS ]

[ GROANS ]

I WANT MY MONEY BACK.

WHATEVER MONEY'S LEFT BELONGS TO THE COMPANY.

Brechin: GOLD CREATES A NEW KIND OF EXCITING

BUT ALSO DANGEROUS SOCIETY AT THE SAME TIME.

AND THAT'S WHAT THEY DISCOVERED WHEN THEY CAME HERE.

IT WASN'T LIKE WHAT THEY HAD BEEN PROMISED.

IT WAS MUCH HARDER, MUCH MORE DANGEROUS.

Narrator: WALKER TOOK MATTERS INTO HIS OWN HANDS.

HE GRABBED THE COMPANY'S MEAGER SUPPLY OF GOLD

AND SET OFF ON HIS OWN.

WHEN A MAN IS DESPERATE, HE'LL GO OUTSIDE OF THE LAW.

WELL, THERE IS NO LAW IN THESE CAMPS.

EVEN THE CAMPS THAT I'VE SEEN IN THE MODERN-DAY GOLD RUSHES,

THERE IS NO LAW.

MONEY'S GONE.

ANYONE ELSE WANTS TO LEAVE, THERE'S THE TRAIL!

STEAL ANY OF OUR ANIMALS AND PROVISIONS,

AND YOU'LL BE FLOGGED!

Narrator: THE COMPANY WAS FALLING APART,

AND CAPTAIN JOHN WEBBER'S LEADERSHIP

WAS BEING PUT TO THE TEST.

WHILE BOSTON COMPANY STRUGGLED IN THE GOLDFIELDS,

90 MILES WEST,

OTHER LUCKIER 49ers WERE LIVING THE HIGH LIFE.

IN JUST 18 MONTHS,

GOLD HAD TURNED THE SMALL TOWN OF SAN FRANCISCO

INTO THE LARGEST CITY WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI --

A WILD OUTPOST WHERE ANYTHING GOES.

[ LAUGHTER ]

Brands: THERE'S THE SLOGAN "WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS STAYS IN VEGAS."

THAT REALLY APPLIED TO CALIFORNIA

IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE GOLD RUSH

BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE WERE ON VACATION

FROM THE PEOPLE WHO KNEW THEM.

WHAT THEY DID IN CALIFORNIA PROBABLY WOULDN'T GET BACK

TO WHEREVER THEY WERE GOING BACK TO.

Narrator: BUT THE MAN WHO RULED IT ALL WAS A SHOPKEEPER

WHO'D USED HIS MONOPOLY OVER MINING SUPPLIES

TO SEIZE CONTROL OF THE CITY --

SAM BRANNAN.

WHILE BRANNAN'S STORE HAD MADE HIM THE RICHEST MAN IN THE WEST,

HE WASN'T ABOUT TO STOP THERE.

BRANNAN HAS PRETTY GOOD BUSINESS INSTINCTS,

AND HE BRANCHES OUT,

AND HE STARTS A WHOLE VARIETY OF DIFFERENT ENTERPRISES.

Narrator: BRANNAN BEGAN TAKING OVER EVERY BUSINESS IN SAN FRANCISCO,

AND ANYONE WHO DIDN'T GIVE HIM A CUT

WAS QUICKLY RUN OUT OF TOWN.

SAM BRANNAN WAS ESTABLISHING HIMSELF

AS THE FIRST KINGPIN IN CALIFORNIA,

AND WITH NO LAWS TO STOP HIM, NOTHING STOOD IN HIS WAY.

Bagley: A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE AFRAID OF SAM BRANNAN.

THEY'D SEEN HIM EXERCISE HIS POWER.

THEY'D SEEN HIM BE ABSOLUTELY RUTHLESS AT TIMES.

LET ME SEE THAT ONE.

THAT'S VERY NICE.

THANK YOU.

BRANNAN RULED BY FEAR IN MANY WAYS.

Narrator: JUST 130 MILES NORTHEAST OF SAN FRANCISCO,

THE LANDSCAPE CHANGED QUICKLY...

FROM THE ROLLING FOG OF THE BAY

TO THE DRY, BLISTERING HEAT OF THE ROCKY HILLS.

HUNDREDS OF 49ers LEFT THE OVERCROWDED GOLDFIELDS

TO LOOK FOR UNTOUCHED LAND

MILES AWAY FROM THE NEAREST RIVER.

AMONG THEM WAS WILLIAM WALKER.

SINCE ABANDONING BOSTON COMPANY,

WALKER HAD FOUND HIMSELF IN A MUCH MORE HOSTILE CLIMATE,

WHERE TEMPERATURES SPIKED TO 115 DEGREES

IN THE SCORCHING SUN.

ALSO BRAVING THESE HARSH CONDITIONS

WERE THE ONLY TWO MEMBERS OF BOSTON COMPANY

TO COME WITH HIM -- OLIVER MARTIN AND JOHN FOWLER.

AND TOGETHER, THEY WERE TRYING THEIR LUCK

AT A NEW METHOD FOR FINDING GOLD --

DRY MINING.

MINERS TOSSED DRY EARTH INTO THE AIR,

AND AS THE WIND BLEW AWAY THE LIGHTER PIECES,

ONLY THE HEAVIER MATERIAL, LIKE GOLD, WAS LEFT BEHIND.

I'VE DONE A LITTLE BIT OF DRY MINING OVER THE YEARS.

I DIDN'T REALLY LIKE IT.

THE CONTENTS OF THE MATERIAL HAS TO BE SO DRY

IN ORDER TO GET A GOOD RECOVERY

THAT YOU'RE WORKING IN A DUST STORM.

IT JUST COVERS YOU.

IT'S JUST MISERABLE.

Narrator: WALKER DOCUMENTED HIS EXPERIENCE

IN HIS JOURNALS.

"WE WERE UNSUCCESSFUL AGAIN TODAY,

GETTING BUT A FEW GRAINS OF GOLD."

AFTER WEEKS OF BACKBREAKING WORK,

WALKER, MARTIN, AND FOWLER HAD LITTLE TO SHOW FOR IT.

BEATEN DOWN AND EXHAUSTED,

THEY WERE NO BETTER OFF THAN THEY'D BEEN BEFORE.

[ METAL CLANGS ]

ORO!

ORO!

[ CONVERSING IN SPANISH ]

ORO! ORO!

[ LAUGHS ]

ORO!

[ ALL CHEERING ]

ORO!

IT SPREADS LIKE WILDFIRE WHEN YOU DO FIND A STRIKE OF GOLD,

AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT,

YOU'LL HAVE FIVE OR SIX GUYS, YOU KNOW, COMING HERE

AND THEY'RE WANTING TO PROSPECT

OR THEY'RE WANTING TO DO SOMETHING.

GOLD CAN BRING OUT THE VERY WORST IN PEOPLE.

[ SPEAKS SPANISH ]

[ LAUGHS ]

[ CONVERSING IN SPANISH ]

THERE WERE INSTANCES OF PEOPLE JUMPING CLAIMS.

WHEN YOU STAKED A CLAIM, YOU WOULD GET

YOUR 15-SQUARE-FOOT AREA THAT THIS WAS YOURS,

AND YOU HAD THE RIGHT

TO WHATEVER GOLD WAS DISCOVERED THERE.

BUT YOU HAD TO ENFORCE IT YOURSELF.

OTHERWISE, SOMEBODY WOULD PROBABLY TRY TO STEAL IT.

[ MEN SHOUTING ]

CLAIM JUMPING STILL HAPPENS. THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.

YOU HAVEN'T EATEN FOR 10 DAYS

AND YOU'RE STRUGGLING JUST TO SURVIVE,

YOU'RE GONNA TAKE DESPERATE ACTION.

AND SOMETIMES, IT ENDS UP BEING SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST,

AND IT CAN BE UGLY.

[ TWIG BREAKS ]

[ BOTH GRUNTING ]

[ GRUNTING ]

[ BIRD SQUAWKING ]

Brechin: GOLD HAS THE POWER

TO TURN DECENT MEN AND WOMEN INTO PSYCHOPATHS.

PEOPLE INFECTED WITH GOLD FEVER

SIMPLY BECOME ABSOLUTELY RUTHLESS.

[ BIRD SQUAWKING ]

Narrator: AFTER MONTHS OF COMING UP EMPTY,

WILLIAM WALKER HAD FINALLY DISCOVERED HIS OWN METHOD

FOR FINDING GOLD.

Narrator: BY THE FALL OF 1849,

SAM BRANNAN WAS THE MOST POWERFUL MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO.

HE ALREADY HAD A STAKE

IN EVERYTHING FROM HOTELS TO SALOONS,

AND NOW HE WAS TAKING IN AN INCOME

OF NEARLY $4 MILLION A MONTH IN TODAY'S MONEY.

BUT A NEW BUSINESS WAS MOVING INTO TOWN,

AND BRANNAN SAW AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADD TO HIS EMPIRE.

[ WOLF WHISTLING ]

HOWDY, LADIES.

HELLO, LADIES.

HOW YOU DOING?

Benemann: DURING THE FIRST YEAR OF THE GOLD RUSH,

95% OF THE PEOPLE WHO CAME WERE MEN,

AND THAT 5% OF THE POPULATION THAT WAS FEMALE

WAS ALMOST ALL PROSTITUTES,

AND THERE WAS A GREAT DEMAND.

PROSTITUTES COULD MAKE A LOT OF MONEY.

Brannan: I'M WILLING TO LEASE YOU ONE OF MY HOTELS,

BUT I WANT A CUT OF 50%.

SO, DO WE HAVE A DEAL?

Narrator: PROSTITUTION QUICKLY BECAME THE BIGGEST MONEYMAKER

IN SAN FRANCISCO.

[ LAUGHTER ]

SAM BRANNAN BEGAN IMPORTING WOMEN FROM AROUND THE WORLD.

IN JUST MONTHS, OVER 2,000 PROSTITUTES ARRIVED,

AND EACH WOMAN COULD COMMAND

THE MODERN EQUIVALENT OF $100,000 A WEEK.

BRANNAN ALREADY OWNED THE WATERFRONT.

NOW HE TURNED IT INTO

THE BIGGEST RED-LIGHT DISTRICT IN THE WORLD

AND A WELL-OILED MONEYMAKER.

THE GIRLS BROUGHT THE MEN

DIRECTLY FROM THE BORDELLOS TO THE GAMBLING HALLS,

WHERE THEY WERE EASY TARGETS FOR BRANNAN'S CASINOS.

SAM BRANNAN WAS RAISING THE BAR.

IT WASN'T ENOUGH TO OWN THE HOUSE.

HE WAS MAKING SURE THE GAME WAS FIXED.

Brechin: IN THE GAMBLING HALLS, THE DECKS ARE ALWAYS STACKED.

YOU KNOW, THE HOUSE WINS.

AND SAM BRANNAN COMES IN ON THAT

BECAUSE THE FORTUNES THAT WERE REALLY MADE,

THE LASTING FORTUNES,

ARE MADE BY THOSE PEOPLE

WHO GOT CONTROL BY WHATEVER MEANS NECESSARY.

Narrator: MEANWHILE, BACK IN THE GOLDFIELDS,

DESPERATION WAS TAKING OVER.

THEIR GOLD WASHER WAS A BUST, SO NOW,

BOSTON COMPANY WAS FORCED TO DIG FOR GOLD

JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE -- WITH A PAN.

AND AFTER THREE WEEKS OF BACKBREAKING WORK,

THEY STILL HADN'T FOUND ANYTHING.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MADE THE GOLD RUSH HAPPEN

WAS THAT ANY IDIOT COULD MINE GOLD.

IN CALIFORNIA, THERE WAS SO MUCH OF LUCK,

GOOD OR BAD,

IN DETERMINING WHO MADE IT AND WHO DIDN'T.

GOLD!

GOLD!

[ MEN SHOUTING ]

Beets: IT'S A BUSINESS.

IT'S NOT A FAIRY TALE OUT THERE.

SOME PEOPLE THINK THEY CAN GO OUT THERE

AND PICK IT OUT THE GROUND.

WELL, THAT'S JUST NOT HOW IT WORKS.

Turin: IF YOU'RE A GOLD MINER, YOU'RE GONNA HIT UPS AND DOWNS,

AND MANY TIMES, THE DOWNS ARE REALLY, REALLY BIG.

I EXPERIENCED SOME VERY DIFFICULT TIMES.

I DOUBTED MYSELF, I HAD FEARS OF FAILURE.

THERE WAS ONE TIME WHEN I WALKED OUT ON A PIECE OF GROUND,

AND I LOOKED AROUND, AND I GO,

"WHAT IN THE HELL AM I DOING HERE?

I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO DO THIS."

Narrator: WITH EVERY PASSING DAY,

THE COMPANY SANK DEEPER INTO DEBT.

AND WITH SUPPLIES RUNNING OUT,

THEY NEEDED A GAME CHANGER.

Brands: AS THE GOLD BECAME HARDER TO FIND,

PEOPLE BEGAN TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT

OTHER WAYS OF GETTING GOLD.

THE TOOLS BECAME MORE SOPHISTICATED.

WHAT IS THAT?

IT'S A SLUICE.

HOW MUCH EARTH COULD YOU TURN OVER?

1,000 BUCKETS A DAY.

PRINCIPLE OF THE SLUICE BOX

WAS ESSENTIALLY THE PRINCIPLE OF THE WASH PAN,

EXCEPT IT WAS SORT OF RAMPING UP THE OPERATION.

Narrator: IT WAS A SIMPLE BUT INGENIOUS CONCEPT.

A SERIES OF BOXES LINED WITH WOODEN STRIPS

WERE LOCKED TOGETHER.

THE BOXES WERE FILLED WITH DIRT,

AND AS RIVER WATER RUSHED OVER IT,

LIGHTER PARTICLES WASHED AWAY,

AND THE STRIPS CAUGHT THE HEAVIER GOLD.

WITH A SLUICE BOX,

A MINER COULD PROCESS 16 TIMES AS MUCH DIRT

AS HE COULD WITH A PAN.

IT WAS A MAJOR LEAP FORWARD IN GOLD-MINING TECHNIQUE,

AS COMPANIES ALL OVER THE GOLDFIELDS

STOPPED PANNING

AND STARTED BUILDING MASSIVE SLUICES.

AFTER WEEKS OF BACKBREAKING WORK CARRIED OUT IN SWELTERING HEAT,

BOSTON COMPANY'S SLUICE BOX WAS FINALLY COMPLETE.

THE SLUICE BOX IS STILL OUR MAIN WAY OF GETTING GOLD,

EVEN NOW,

JUST LIKE THEY DID 150 YEARS AGO.

IT HASN'T IMPROVED THAT MUCH. PRETTY INCREDIBLE.

[ WHISTLES ] BOYS.

[ ALL CHEERING ]

Man: GOLD!

Narrator: BOSTON COMPANY WAS SURE THEY'D FOUND THEIR TICKET TO FORTUNE.

JUST AS THEIR LUCK SEEMED TO BE TURNING...

...SOMETHING DEADLY HIT THE GOLDFIELDS.

Narrator: BY LATE OCTOBER OF 1849,

THE GOLD RUSH WAS JUST OVER A YEAR OLD,

AND ALREADY, OVER 76 TONS OF GOLD

HAD BEEN PULLED FROM CALIFORNIA --

MORE THAN DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF GOLD

THAT HAD EVER BEEN DISCOVERED ON NORTH AMERICAN SOIL.

ALL THAT GOLD WAS TRAVELING BACK EAST,

INJECTING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF NEW WEALTH

INTO THE AMERICAN ECONOMY.

BUT FOR THE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MINERS IN CALIFORNIA

WHO WERE TRYING TO DIG IT UP,

LIFE WASN'T GETTING ANY BETTER.

IN FACT, IT WAS ABOUT TO GET A WHOLE LOT WORSE...

...AS A NEW MENACE

WAS SWEEPING THROUGH THE CROWDED GOLDFIELDS --

ONE THAT THREATENED TO DESTROY EVERYTHING.

I'M DYING, AIN'T I?

CHOLERA.

AT THE TIME,

IT WAS ONE OF THE DEADLIEST DISEASES ON THE PLANET.

IN JUST 50 YEARS,

THE DISEASE HAD MADE ITS WAY FROM ASIA TO EUROPE

AND NOW TO THE UNITED STATES,

SPREADING ACROSS THE CONTINENT

FASTER AND FURTHER THAN ANY EPIDEMIC BEFORE IT.

WITHIN THE PAST YEAR ALONE,

CHOLERA HAD KILLED THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES,

JAMES K. POLK,

AND HIS SUCCESSOR, ZACHARY TAYLOR.

BY THE END OF THE PANDEMIC,

OVER 12 MILLION PEOPLE WOULD BE DEAD.

IN THE 1840s, NO ONE KNEW WHAT CAUSED THE DISEASE

OR HOW TO CURE IT.

THE ONE THING THEY DID KNOW

WAS THAT CHOLERA SEEMED TO BE MOST PREVALENT

IN CROWDED AREAS

WHERE THERE WAS LITTLE OR NO SANITATION,

LIKE CITIES OR THE GOLDFIELDS.

Brands: THESE MINING CAMPS THAT WERE BUNCHED REALLY CLOSE TOGETHER

VERY OFTEN WERE VISITED BY CHOLERA

AND OTHER INFECTIOUS DISEASES.

YOU'LL GET 10,000, 15,000 PEOPLE IN THIS SMALL VALLEY.

YOU HAD ALL OF THE PROBLEMS OF URBAN LIFE

WITHOUT ANY URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE.

FOLKS IN CALIFORNIA HAD NO TIME TO DIG WELLS OR TO DIG LATRINES,

AND SO, THE LOCAL STREAM BECAME BOTH SIMULTANEOUSLY.

Narrator: FOR THESE CRAMPED AND FILTHY CONDITIONS...

[ COUGHING ]

...IT TOOK JUST DAYS FOR THE DISEASE

TO TAKE OVER THE BOSTON COMPANY CAMP.

CHOLERA STRIKES FAST, ATTACKING YOUR INTESTINES

AND CAUSING SEVERE DEHYDRATION

THAT COULD QUICKLY LEAD TO ORGAN FAILURE AND DEATH.

Eymann: IT WAS A HORRENDOUS DISEASE.

YOU'RE VOMITING. YOU HAVE DIARRHEA YOU CAN'T CONTROL.

YOU BECOME DEHYDRATED.

IT WAS A HORRIBLE WAY TO DIE.

Narrator: THERE WASN'T MUCH A DOCTOR COULD DO

EXCEPT EASE THE SUFFERING.

Bagley: MOST DOCTORS BELIEVED

YOU WANTED TO TRY TO COUNTER THE SYMPTOMS,

WHICH WERE FREE-FLOWING AT BOTH ENDS.

ONE OF THE IDEAS WAS GIVE THEM OPIUM

TO STOP THEM UP

AND ALCOHOL TO MAKE THEM FEEL BETTER.

A LOT OF THESE TREATMENTS KILL MORE PEOPLE THAN THEY CURE.

BUT SOME PHYSICIANS RECOGNIZE

THAT BODY'S LOSING A LOT OF WATER

AND YOU BETTER GET IT BACK IN.

[ COUGHING ]

Narrator: IF IT HADN'T BEEN FOR CHOLERA,

DR. CHARLES ROBINSON WOULDN'T HAVE COME TO CALIFORNIA

IN THE FIRST PLACE.

JUST TWO YEARS EARLIER,

THE DISEASE HAD ATTACKED HIS FAMILY.

HE FRANTICALLY TRIED TO FIND A CURE.

BUT IN THE END...

...HE WAS FORCED TO BURY HIS DAUGHTER AND HIS WIFE.

CALIFORNIA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A FRESH START,

BUT NOW, HE WAS RELIVING THE NIGHTMARE.

THIS TIME, CHARLES ROBINSON WAS DETERMINED TO FIND A CURE.

Narrator: AFTER WEEKS OF HIDING OUT IN THE HILLS,

WILLIAM WALKER, JOHN FOWLER, AND OLIVER MARTIN

HAD ARRIVED IN SAN FRANCISCO.

IT HAD BEEN MONTHS SINCE THEY'D LAST SET FOOT IN A MAJOR CITY,

AND THESE GUYS KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANTED.

THINK WE'RE GONNA LIKE IT HERE, BOYS.

[ PIANO MUSIC PLAYS ]

* I WANDER TODAY TO THE HILL, DANNY *

* TO WATCH THE SCENE BELOW *

* THE CREEK AND THE CREAKING OLD MILL, DANNY *

* USED SO LONG, LONG AGO *

* THE CREAKING OLD WHEEL IS NOW STILL, DANNY *

* USED SO LONG, LONG AGO *

[ APPLAUSE, WHISTLING ]

Kurutz: PEOPLE WERE COMING IN FROM THE FOOTHILLS

WITH THEIR PILE OF GOLD.

THEY WANTED TO BLOW OFF SOME STEAM.

"LET'S HAVE A GOOD TIME."

YOU KNOW, "I'M A KING, I'VE MADE IT."

Narrator: THE CHOLERA EPIDEMIC THAT HAD HIT THE GOLDFIELDS

SHOWED NO SIGNS OF LETTING UP.

ONE OUT OF EVERY THREE MINERS CONTRACTED THE DISEASE.

ONE OUT OF EVERY 12 DIED OF IT.

NEITHER DR. CHARLES ROBINSON NOR ANYONE ELSE IN THE WORLD

HAD ANY IDEA HOW TO STOP THE EPIDEMIC.

WHILE ISOLATED IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE,

ROBINSON KNEW HE COULDN'T CURE THE DISEASE,

BUT HE COULD TRY TO TREAT ITS SYMPTOMS

USING WHATEVER HE FOUND AROUND HIM.

AS ROBINSON CAREFULLY DOCUMENTED,

TO RELIVE PAINFUL MUSCLE SPASMS,

HE TRIED CAMPHOR FROM THE BARK OF AN EVERGREEN TREE.

TO STIMULATE THE BODY'S CIRCULATION,

HE TRIED HERBS MADE UP OF GROUND-UP CAPSICUM,

AND FINALLY, TO DULL THE PAIN, HE ADDED A LITTLE OPIUM.

BY FOCUSING ON THE SYMPTOMS,

ROBINSON HOPED TO KEEP THE PATIENT ALIVE LONG ENOUGH

FOR THEIR BODY TO FIGHT OFF THE DISEASE.

INCREDIBLY, IT WORKED.

WORD QUICKLY SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE GOLDFIELDS,

AND MINERS TRAVELED FROM MILES AWAY

TO BE SAVED BY THE DOCTOR IN BOSTON COMPANY.

Kurutz: TO HAVE A BONA FIDE DOCTOR WITH YOU

WAS JUST A TREMENDOUS RESOURCE AND A TREMENDOUS ADVANTAGE.

DR. ROBINSON WAS A MAN THAT PEOPLE WILL SEEM TO RESPECT,

AND HE WAS ABLE TO GAIN THE CONFIDENCE OF PEOPLE, TOO.

MORNING, DOC.

Narrator: AFTER YEARS OF TORMENT,

CHARLES ROBINSON HAD FINALLY BEATEN CHOLERA.

DOC.

AND IN THE PROCESS,

HE'D MADE A NAME FOR HIMSELF IN THE GOLDFIELDS.

THE CHOLERA CRISIS HAD BEEN AVERTED,

BUT MANY OF THE MEN WHO'D CONTRACTED THE DISEASE

HAD HAD ENOUGH.

MINERS BY THE HUNDREDS GAVE UP THEIR DREAM OF FINDING GOLD

AND HEADED HOME,

AMONG THEM, CAPTAIN JOHN WEBBER,

WHO AFTER MONTHS OF WATCHING HIS CONTROL OVER HIS MEN CRUMBLE,

FINALLY REALIZED

HE WAS NO LONGER THE TRUE LEADER OF BOSTON COMPANY.

I WANT TO WISH YOU ALL THE BEST OF LUCK.

I HOPE AT LEAST SOME OF YOU COME BACK RICH MEN.

Eymann: WHEN WEBBER MAKES THE DECISION

AND PROBABLY AFTER BEING SICK LIKE THAT,

DECIDES TO TURN BACK.

I THINK THAT KNOWING WHO CHARLES ROBINSON WAS

AND ALSO THE FACT

THAT HE HAD JUST HELPED THEM THROUGH AN ILLNESS,

THAT HE WOULD'VE BEEN A NATURAL

FOR THE GROUP TO TURN TO AS A LEADER.

WHAT DO WE DO NOW, DOC?

Narrator: WILLIAM WALKER MAY HAVE FELT LIKE THE KING OF THE GOLDFIELDS,

BUT HE DIDN'T REALIZE THAT HE WAS JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE --

AN EASY MARK WHO HAD PLAYED RIGHT INTO SAM BRANNAN'S GAME.

JUST YOU AND ME.

IF YOU BET THE REST OF YOUR GOLD,

I'LL DOUBLE YOUR STAKE.

IF YOU WIN, YOU'LL BE A VERY RICH MAN.

I THINK WE SHOULD GO.

SHUT UP, FOWLER.

DAMN IT! THIS THING'S FIXED! I WANT MY MONEY BACK.

OKAY. OKAY! OKAY!

OKAY.

[ GRUNTS ]

AAH!

YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!

I'LL GET YOU, SON OF A BITCH!

[ INDISTINCT SHOUTING ]

Narrator: DURING THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH,

THE GREATEST THREAT TO THE 49ers WASN'T THE HARSH CONDITIONS.

[ GUN COCKS ]

IT WAS EACH OTHER.

[ GUNSHOT ]

Brechin: IT WAS A VIOLENT AND A DANGEROUS CULTURE

IN WHICH COULD LOSE YOUR LIFE VERY, VERY EASILY.

AND ONE OF THE SAD THINGS IS WHEN THESE MEN,

WHO HAD WIVES AND FAMILIES BACK HOME,

THEY MIGHT SUDDENLY JUST STOP WRITING,

AND THEIR FAMILIES WOULD NEVER KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.

Narrator: IN THE GOLDFIELDS, NINE OUT OF EVERY 10 PROSPECTORS WERE ARMED,

AND ON AVERAGE, THERE WAS A MURDER EVERY FIVE HOURS,

MAKING CALIFORNIA THE DEADLIEST PLACE IN AMERICA.

Narrator: WILLIAM WALKER HAD CHEATED AND ROBBED

TO GET AHEAD IN THE GOLDFIELDS,

BUT NOW HE WAS THE ONE BEING CONNED BY SAM BRANNAN.

YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!

I'LL GET YOU, SON OF A BITCH!

Narrator: BUT WALKER HAD FINALLY REALIZED THE GAME WAS RIGGED.

AND HE WAS GOING TO TAKE MATTERS INTO HIS OWN HANDS.

MEANWHILE, IT HAD BEEN OVER TWO MONTHS

SINCE THEY SURVIVED THE CHOLERA EPIDEMIC,

AND BOSTON COMPANY WAS BACK AT WORK WITH THEIR SLUICE.

BUT THEY WERE HAVING NO BETTER LUCK

THAN THEY WERE WHILE PANNING.

IT WAS CLEAR.

THE PROBLEM WASN'T WITH THE TECHNOLOGY

BUT THE LAND.

SOME PEOPLE MAKE A MISTAKE ABOUT DIGGING AND DIGGING AND DIGGING,

THINKING, WELL, THAT'S THE ONLY CLAIM THEY'VE GOT,

AND THEY'LL WORK THEMSELVES TO DEATH

ON A CLAIM THAT'S GOT NOTHING ON IT.

IT'S JUST NO PAY DIRT.

4 OUNCES.

Turin: YOU REALLY DON'T KNOW YOU'VE GOT A BAD CLAIM

UNTIL YOU'RE INTO IT TOO FAR.

A POOR MINER, WHICH IS USUALLY THE CASE,

TRIES TO OVERCOME THE LOSSES

THAT HE'S ALREADY ENCOUNTERED ON A BAD PIECE OF GROUND,

AND THEY NEVER MAKE IT UP.

A SMART MINER WALKS AWAY AND CUTS HIS LOSSES.

LET'S PACK UP AND GO TO SAN FRANCISCO.

IT'S CHRISTMAS. IT'S ABOUT TIME WE CELEBRATE SOMETHING.

YES, SIR. YES, SIR. WHOO!

GET THE GEAR.

Narrator: CHARLES ROBINSON DECIDED

IT WAS TIME THEY ABANDON THEIR CLAIM.

HE KNEW HIS MEN NEEDED A BREAK.

SO, BOSTON COMPANY SET OUT FOR SAN FRANCISCO...

...AND IT SEEMED LIKE EVERYONE IN CALIFORNIA HAD THE SAME IDEA.

BY THE END OF 1849, AS CHRISTMAS APPROACHED,

75,000 MINERS FROM ALL OVER CALIFORNIA

FLOODED INTO THE CITY.

IT WAS THE BIGGEST PARTY SAN FRANCISCO HAD EVER SEEN

AS MINERS PACKED INTO BRANNAN'S BARS AND BORDELLOS

LOOKING FOR AN ESCAPE.

BUT ACROSS TOWN...

ONE MAN WAS LOOKING FOR REVENGE.

WITH SAM BRANNAN PREOCCUPIED, WALKER BROKE INTO HIS MANSION...

...TO TAKE BACK WHAT WAS HIS.

HEY.

HEY, FOWLER.

THERE'S A BIG FIRE OUTSIDE.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING? [ GASPS ]

WHO ARE YOU? UH...

WHAT'S THE COMBINATION TO THE SAFE?

Fowler: WALKER, THERE'S A FIRE. WE SHOULD GO.

TELL ME.

PLEASE, GOD. PLEASE.

SHUT UP! WE NEED TO GO NOW.

TELL ME. I DON'T KNOW.

WALKER, WE ARE GONNA BURN ALIVE.

[ GASPS ]

[ CRYING ]

Narrator: IT STARTED IN A GAMBLING HALL DOWNTOWN,

BUT IN NO TIME,

WHAT WOULD COME TO BE KNOWN AS THE GREAT FIRE OF 1849

HAD SPREAD ACROSS SAN FRANCISCO...

...DESTROYING EVERYTHING IN ITS PATH.

BY THE TIME ROBINSON AND BOSTON COMPANY ARRIVED,

THE CITY THAT GOLD BUILT HAD BURNED TO THE GROUND.

ON THE NEXT "GOLD FEVER," IN THE WAKE OF THE FIRE,

CHAOS BREAKS OUT IN SAN FRANCISCO.

IN THE GOLDFIELDS,

DESPERATE 49ers BEGIN USING DANGEROUS NEW METHODS

TO FIND GOLD...

GOLD!

Narrator: ...WHILE SAM BRANNAN MAKES A PLAY

TO TAKE CONTROL OF THE GOLDFIELDS...

IF YOU AND YOUR MOB DON'T LEAVE, I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU.

...LEADING TO THE BLOODIEST DAY IN THE ENTIRE GOLD RUSH.