The Gold Rush Letters of E. Allen Grosh and Hosea B. Grosh

Foreword

ab a ix b This volume presents an important collection of letters from the era of the California Gold Rush. It is an essential contribution for anyone interested in how this period changed the nation, and the Nevada Historical Society is honored to participate in its publication. The stirring story of Ethan Allen and Hosea Ballou Grosh, participants in one of the great events of world history, continues to captivate. The letters the young men left behind assume an indispensable place in western studies. The Grosh brothers collection encompasses more than eighty signed letters , related correspondence from family and friends, original transcripts, and several additional images dating from 1849 through 1880. The letters, dating from 1849 to 1857, are the most important known correspondence in Nevada’s preterritorial history. These documents detail the everyday lives of ’49ers mining in California and Nevada, including the daily hardships, depression balanced against optimism, and illnesses endured by the brothers. The Grosh and Wegman families kept the surviving documents and photographs that told the story of the Grosh brothers’ unfulfilled mining claim through court cases and house fires. I would like to thank Fred N. Holabird, local historical consultant, for first introducing the society and the Wegman family, allowing talks about acquiring the highly significant letters of the Grosh brothers to begin in 1997. Manuscript curator Eric Moody took the lead in the society’s fund-raising effort, seeking funds from supporters, grants, private foundations, and the Nevada Legislature and fulfilling his quest in 2007 after ten years of effort. The cooperation of Charles T. Wegman and his mother, Naomi Thompson, descendants of the Grosh family, was critical to the effort to place this treasure in the public domain, and they have the thanks of the Nevada Historical Society. The idea of publishing this book began in earnest in 2007. Eric Moody and Mella Harmon, both members of the Nevada Historical Society, began talking f o r e w o r d x b foreword with the University of Nevada Press about publishing the book and enlisted the help of Ron James, the Nevada state historic preservation officer, to write the introduction. With the change in staff at the society starting in July 2009, roles in relation to the publication changed, with Ron James and Bob Stewart taking the lead as coeditors. The original transcript of the letters completed by Charles Wegman in 1997 provided a great start for the manuscript. However, pertinent information was missing, including some text as well as context and notes that would help the reader understand the many topics the Grosh brothers discussed in the beautifully written and dutifully descriptive letters they wrote to their family. As one of the promises made to the family, due to the fragile condition of the letters, the staff at the society began scanning the documents for preservation purposes to reduce handling and prevent the loss of information as the letters continue to crumble. Today, researchers can study the researchers’ copy of the transcript and printed copies of the historic letters for comparison in the society’s research library. The Nevada Historical Society has the honor of being the oldest cultural institution in the state of Nevada. It was founded by Dr. Jeanne Elizabeth Weir, history professor at the University of Nevada, along with several members of the Nevada Academy of Sciences, on May 31, 1904. Our mission is to collect and preserve objects and to educate the public on the history of the state of Nevada, the Great Basin, and the West. The remarkable collections housed at the society for more than a century will continue to be a valuable resource for future generations. The society’s academic connection began with Dr. Weir’s association as professor and director. This close affiliation has continued to the present, encouraged by the society’s current location at the north end of the University of Nevada, Reno, campus on North Virginia Street. The Nevada Historical Society thanks the University of Nevada Press for its assistance in publishing this volume, the result of a partnership as both institutions seek to serve those who cherish the history of Nevada and the West. Sheryln L. Hayes-Zorn Nevada Historical Society ...