This letter was for a  history assignment.  Katia had to imagine she was a 49er, traveling west for the California gold rush of 1849.  Using that frame of mind, she wrote a letter to her family back home.

Boomtown, CA

July 30, 1849

Dear Daddy,

Out here in Boomtown its quite noisy.  And very crowded too.  I left home for gold so I could help out with the family fortune.  My once neat brown hair is now a mop.  I’m heading off to California in search of yeller.

The journey was rough. I had to take the sea route. No more land wagons were available. Land and sea is too expensive. The ship I was taking always had a soaked deck from high waves. We also went through the Straits of Magellan which was very risky. I’m glad we made it!!!

When I got to Sacramento City, there were rats everywhere! One climbed up my pants!!! I had $500 left. I bought four cans, rope, a tent, and a mountain canary. I set up a claim in Boomtown, using the four cans to form a square, and rope to circle them. I got the nick-name “Tough Rat” because of the rat that was on my pants. I went back to town the next day for a pick ax, shovel, flannel shirt, and pan. Then I was panning for gold, digging coyote holes, and finding yeller!

I struck it rich!! 37 gold nuggets, 5 gold dust bags, and a broken pan. I’m coming home with it all!!!

Your miner,

Tough Rat