Gold Rush Luck
California Gold Rush, one of America’s most well-known historical events, is a fictional retelling. As with my last article, I’m writing today about a fictionalized account of the period. The story was published by Bret harte in 1868 and is entitled “The Luck of Roaring Camp”. Cherokee Sal gives birth in a gold-prospecting camp to Tommy Luck. It is believed that the birth of Tommy Luck, and the death during childbirth of Sal, will bring good fortune to the camp. Hence the name. Initially, it seemed that their belief in good fortune was true. They saw many improvements to the town and the personalities of people changed. Men in the town begin to talk about the future of the boomtown and its advancements, but the harsh winter has other plans. The winter took many men’s lives and ultimately, Tommy too.
The author did not mine and lived in eastern Canada, so there are some differences. The gold rush was a time when men were the majority of the miners, but women were the ones who grew the towns. Even though it is not possible to say if it is an accurate account, the story attracted people of that time as it confirmed the idea that anything can be achieved in the western half. It is possible that the only time the miners mentioned God was when Timmy was conceived. Therefore, one could assume that the motivation for the gold rush was god.
