H4697.1
(43.18 cm HIGH x 63.50 cm WIDE)
Carpet bag. Description: floral design - 25" x 17" used by William Ludwig (donor's great-grandfather) in 1853 to carry gold from California to purchase sheep in Ohio. Wm. Ludwig crossed the plains in 1852 and went into the mercantile business in foothills of California, where he made $10,000 in 18 months. From the History Information Station: Object: Carpetbag, or suitcase made of carpeting. History: This carpetbag was reputedly used by a successful miner to carry gold from California to Ohio in 1853. In Ohio, the gold was used to buy sheep. But when the flock froze in a terrible blizzard soon afterward, the former miner packed up his family and returned with this carpetbag to Sierra County, California. There he went into business, like many others who preferred to extract gold from miners' pockets rather than pry it out of the mines.
Used: overland passage | California | William Ludwig | Gold | Immigrant ~ Ohio | Merchant
