(CALIFORNIA LETTERS) Staples William C Gold Rush letter des

Sale 2310 - Lot 77

Price Realized: $ 281

?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price

Estimate: $ 300 - $ 400

(CALIFORNIA--LETTERS.) Staples, William C. Gold Rush letter describing the gambling dens and grog shops of San Francisco. Autograph Letter Signed to friend Zalman Sanford. 3 pages, 10 x 7 3/4 inches, on one sheet, plus postmarked address panel on verso; minor wear. San Francisco, 8 December 1850

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William C. Staples (1832-1891) was a mariner from Westport, CT who worked his way to San Francisco aboard the ship Mandarin. He describes the boom town to his friend: "What surprises me most is the number of gabling saloons here. There appears to not be much else carried on. The saloons are fitted up most splendidly, equal to any I ever saw in New York. You can see men come down from the mines with 7 or 8 hundred dollars in gold dust in a bag, throw it down on the table, and lose it by a throw of the dice. There are also plenty of grog shops here, and also plenty of customers."