eets of San Francisco shouting about Marshall’s discovery. As proof, Brannan held up a bottle of gold dust. It was a masterstroke that would spark the rush for gold—and make Brannan rich. JoAnn Levy, author “They Saw the Elephant”“When he started racing through the streets yelling, “gold, gold in the American River,” he wasn’t planning on digging for it. He was planning on selling shovels. And the first person who sold shovels got a lot more gold that the person who had to dig for it.” Brannan keenly understood the laws of supply and demand. His wild run through San Francisco came just after he had purchased every pick axe, pan and shovel in the region. A metal pan that sold for twenty cents a few days earlier, was now available from Brannan for fifteen dollars. In just nine weeks he made thirty-six thousand dollars.FeverBy the winter of 1848, whispers of a gold strike had drifted eastward across the country—but few easterners believed. It was an age when rumors were discounted—and government officials were revered. The gold discovery needed validation, and President James Polk delivered just that in early December, 1848:President James Polk: “The accounts of the abundance of gold in that territory are of such extraordinary character as would scarcely command belief were they not corroborated by authentic reports of officers in the public service.”Polk’s confirmation reached deep into the soul of millions. His simple words were a powerful call to action. Farmers left their fields; merchants closed their shops; soldiers left their posts—and made plans for California. Newspapers fanned the fires.Horace Greeley the of New York Tribune: “Fortune lies upon the surface of the earth as plentiful as the mud in our streets. We look for an addition within the next four years equal to at least One Thousand Million of Dollars to the gold in circulation.&...
