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‘Padre Junipero Serra and the Mission Church San Carlos del Carmelo’
Religious book telling the story of Padre Junipero Serra, a Catholic missionary from Spain who organised the first of 21 Spanish missions to California. Bound in a yellow cover, hardback version.
He spent his early career as a Franciscan educator in…
He spent his early career as a Franciscan educator in…
‘Recollections of a 49er’
In 1849 Edward McIlhany, aged 20, left West Virginia for the California gold fields. ‘Recollections of a 49er’ is the memoir of the 80 year old Edward. He describes his overland journey to California where he prospected for gold on Feather River and…
‘The Ballard of Sweet Betsy from Pike’
‘Sweet Betsy from Pike’ is an American ballad about a pioneer named Betsy and her lover Ike who migrated from Pike County to California during the gold rush. There are Pike Counties in both Missouri and Illinois from where many gold seekers began…
‘The General Laws of the State of California from 1850 to 1864’
This is a manuscript of California state laws. It outlines the inalienable rights of its citizens, social, political and personal prohibitions, as well as local legislation. Slavery was prohibited unless it was a punishment for a crime, the fugitive…
‘Who’ll get the wishbone’
The source is a political caricature which shows ‘Uncle Sam’, a personification of the United States, cutting a chicken and questioning which child (shown as Cuba and Hawaii) will get the wishbone. This source was published at the time of the…
"Vancouver's Island, the Hudson's Bay Company's establishment"; published in the Illustrated London News
This illustration of Hudson’s Bay Company’s establishment on Vancouver Island was published in The Illustrated London News in 1848. It shows Fort Victoria, accessible through Victoria Harbour and is useful in providing us with an insight into the…
1847 Hawaii Keneta
This source shows the 1847 Hawaii Keneta, commissioned by King Kamehameha III. The coin was designed by Edward Hulseman in the USA. The coin caused a lot of conflict and upset in Hawaii as Hulseman had mistakenly misspelled the denomination, instead…
A First Nations Family with Sluice boxes and rockers; Looking for gold on the Fraser River
This image shows a group of 7 First Nation people searching for gold in the Fraser River. Both men and women are active in the search for gold on the river beds. The Author is described as the British Columbia Provincial secretary, suggesting that…
Abraham Lincoln papers: Series 1. General Correspondence. 1833-1916: Samuel Long to William H. Seward, Monday, July 15, 1861 (Report from Hawaii and request for new position)
The Letter from Samuel Long to William H. Seward discusses Long’s service as a US consul in Hawaii. This source directly shows the relations with the USA and Hawaii and just how involved the USA was in the Island. The letter shows how significant…
Abraham Lincoln Swears He Shall Not Modify The Emancipation Proclamation, Or Return To Slavery Any Person Freed By It
This is a handwritten letter by President Abraham Lincoln to Henry Wright, a member of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery society. Lincoln vows in 1863, not to revoke or modify the Proclamation, or return any slave to their former bonded labour. Although…