The California Herald

Cartographer(s): James Gordon Bennett
Date: 1
Place: New York
Dimensions: 29 x 39 cm (11.4 x 15.3 in)
Condition Rating: VG

Out of stock

Important document of the California Gold Rush

Details

Seemingly extremely rare, this is the second issue of The California Herald, a special edition newspaper published by James Gordon Bennett. Bennett created this edition as a guide to gold seekers. In doing so, we was capitalizing on audiences eager for news about the exciting new developments across the continent.

The woodcut map is based on a well-known map by Frederick William Beechey, although this one extends farther to the east to reveal Suisun Bay. A note beneath the map reads: “We are indebted to Captain Joseph Paddock, Jr, formerly of the Ship Hope, of New Bedford, but now residing in Newport, Rhode Island, for the map from which the above was engraved.”

The verso includes text related to the Gold Rush, including a call for a stronger federal presence in California, notes from the gold fields, a poem, and travel routes to California both overland and through the Isthmus of Panama.

Cartographer(s):

James Gordon Bennett

James Gordon Bennett (1795–1872) was the founder, editor, and publisher of The New York Herald and a major figure in the history of American newspapers.

Condition Description

Various blemishes.

References

For Issue 1 (December 26, 1848): Rumsey 12218.000.