H26.115

• california gold rush

Mining rocker, wood. Used in placer mining. Received from Henry Thompson, Stanfield Hill, Ca. Used to separate gold from earth and gravel shoveled into it and mixed with water. From the History Information Station: Object: Wood and sheet-iron rocker. Used to separate gold from earth and gravel shoveled into it and mixed with water. History: Panning for gold was solitary work but with a rocker, two men could make more than each would alone. One man shoveled dirt into the top of the rocker while another rocked it back and forth. Water channeled through the rocker washed the dirt across riffles in the bed of the rocker. The heavy gold stayed behind in the riffles while the dirt washed out at the other end. More History Information: "I do not care, for I have seen the elephant." Edward Buffam left the Army to seek his fortune as a miner. On his first day he struck a crevasse of gold. "I shall never forget the delight. Eureka! How my heart beat." Buffam was lucky; most miners had to work much harder to gain as much. The experience, both the hardship and the wonder, was known to every miner as "Seeing the Elephant." The story to which it refers goes like this: A farmer who had never seen an elephant went to market when the circus was in town. On the way he met the circus parade, led by the elephant. The farmer was enchanted but his horses bolted, overturning the wagon and scattering broken eggs and bruised vegetables. Asked if he minded the loss of his produce, the farmer replied,"I don't give a hang, for I have seen the elephant."

Used: gold mining | Placer mining | Gold Rush Period