Guns of the Gold Rush

The California Gold Rush ushered in a new chapter in the history of America. But this was also a large, often neglected, chapter in the history of the use of firearms, and the creation of what we refer to today as “the Old West.” The promise of getting rich quick resulted in many people from many nationalities rushing to the state. Most of them were men at first, often leaving their wives back east if they were married. When you mix the conflicts and misunderstandings of people from different backgrounds with the bravado of youth, and a simultaneous advancement in the arms available (most notably the Colt Navy and the Colt Dragoon), you get a most turbulent and interesting period in history. This was an early chapter in the age of the gunfighter, even though the term would be used much later to describe this history.