Californian. Vol. II, No. 44. San Francisco, California, 15 March 1848. 4 pages, folio, approx. 12 1/4 x 18 1/4 in. 

A rare early facsimile copy of the 15 March 1848 issue of The Californian that includes the first mention in print of the California Gold Rush. 

As it was based on rumor, the notice was published at the foot of column 3 on page 2, it nevertheless reports: "GOLD MINE FOUND...gold has been found in considerable quantities. One person brought thirty dollars worth to New Helvetia, gathered there in a short time. California, no doubt, is rich in mineral wealth; great chances here for scientific capitalists." 

The Californian was the first newspaper published in California, begun in Monterey on 15 August 1846 by Alcade Walter Colton and Robert B. Semple. It moved to Yerba Buena (now San Francisco) in mid-1847 and was published weekly. By May 1848, the paper was forced to shut down as its entire staff had left to seek their fortunes in the gold fields, first published here, just months earlier. 

Original copies are virtually unobtainable, and early facsimiles themselves are scarce. 

[Broadsides, Ephemera, Printing, Posters, Handbills, Documents, Newspapers] [Gold Rush, Mining, '49ers]