Roaring Camp: The Social World of the California Gold Rush

by Susan Lee Johnson

Winner of the Bancroft Prize

The world of the California Gold Rush that comes down to us through fiction and film is one of half-truths. In this brilliant work of social history, Susan Lee Johnson enters the well-worked diggings of Gold Rush history and strikes a rich lode.

Johnson explores the dynamic social world created by the Gold Rush in the Sierra Nevada foothills east of Stockton, charting the surprising ways in which the conventions of identity—ethnic, national, and sexual—were reshaped. With a keen eye for character and story, she shows us how this peculiar world evolved over time, and how our cultural memory of the Gold Rush took root.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Research, Grad School, American, Sociology

342 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Justin]

Susan Lee Johnson does a great job of entering into the world of the Gold Rush from multiple perspectives. Much of history is written from the straight, white, male perspective. Johnson makes sure to give a fuller picture. This allows my students who do not often see themselves in the history curriculum to feel represented.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best history on the Gold Rush I’ve ever read. Absolutely fantastic research and methodology, structure, conclusions, and inclusivity. Johnson does an absolutely superb job of showing the reader why the Gold Rush, a multi-cultural event that belonged to so many nations and consisted of so many peoples and cultures, became constructed into Anglo American cultural property in popular collective memory, and it’s beyond fascinating, well-argued, and researched.

[Nelson Minar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched and written but pretty dry. I skimmed sections that were not of interest to me.

I like Johnson's approach to social history, particularly contextualizing events in terms of gender and race understanding of the time. It's also interesting to read such a fine, detailed summary of things gleaned through many hours of work reading through diaries, court records, newspapers, etc.

I came to this book hoping for more info on LGBT history for the Gold Rush. Sadly it's not really in the record. Not for lack of trying, I appreciate the few scraps of homosexual history the author could find. I also appreciated when she just said outright that there was only one unambiguous record of homosexuality in her study area, a mention of buggery in a divorce court. But a few stories of mining men and their close relationships with other men, ones that it's easy to imagine were romantic. She also does a good job explaining why the Anglo sources she mostly draws from would not have recorded more explicit evidence of homosexual behavior, even very private ones like diaries.

I came away with a better understanding of that brief window in the early 1850s in the Southern Diggings, and a deep appreciation of the multicultural nuances at work.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyable experience to return to this book after taking a class from the author on the American West while an undergrad at UW. Published almost twenty years ago, Roaring Camp remains a sterling example of how to write social history – careful analysis of race, gender, labor systems, and more; it's all there, driving home the overarching (though definitely not the book's sole) argument that the Gold Rush presented in popular culture and elsewhere fails to capture the complexities of lived experience for those involved in this often-mythologized venture.

[Caitie · Rating 2 out of 5]

All of the information in this book was interesting, but there was just something about the writing style that bugged me. The way way I can describe it is that is was both too simplistic and too detailed at the same time. It was almost as if the author wanted this book to be read by a wider audience so made the writing style too simple.I live in the Sacramento area and have always found the Gold Rush period to be fascinating, but this book just makes it so boring. As some of the other reviewers have said, the first few chapters repeat themselves.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and very thoroughly researched on the Gold Rush society. However, there were repetitions throughout and it got pretty "scholarly". But it was educational and I learned a few things that I hadn't known before, such as that nearly all Chinese women who came to the Southern Gold Mines were enslaved and used in prostitution. They never made money themselves as it went to their pimps. Whereas, other foreign women who came to the camps made money for themselves and many were able to better their lives.

[Erinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

I think I enjoyed discussing this book in class more than I actually enjoyed reading it. However, it was a very interesting perspective on the Gold Rush and opened my eyes to the multicultural, multiethnic, and gender aspects oft overlooked in Gold Rush narratives.

[James Bechtel · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. The California Gold Rush and its "Southern Mines" (more diverse in terms of race, class, gender, and culture than the "Northern Mines") provide the focus for this book about history, memory, and counter-memory. Interesting indeed. Published in 2000.

[Gina Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I love the social side of things, this book was really interesting, it really brought to life what the life was like for the little guy. However, this text may be daunting and reading level higher than most students would be comfortable with.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good history book with a fascinating narrative and writing style.

[NonFiction 24/7 · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF to much, to wordy and maybe to liberal. Book written by someone who wants to sound fancy rather than communicate information.

[Ashley Cairney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about two orphaned brothers making their way to the Klondike gold rush. It is perfect for middle school age range and also includes many illustrations.

[Helen B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great history.

[Tynan Brooks]

The diversity of the Gold Rush was something I already knew, but the ways in which it was expressed in practice (the lives that were built and impacted) was both upsetting and uplifting.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

A modern social history.

[Billy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roaring Camp: The Social World of the California Gold Rush. Author Susan Lee Johnson argues that the California gold rush took place at a unique time in American history, an era caught in the frays of economic transformation, budding individualism, and class identity. She also argues that this mass migration prompted communal living situations that not only challenged gender roles of the era, but also pushed then acceptable relations of race and sex.
To back these points, Johnson utilizes a narrative approach. The book is structured chronologically. This format constructs a compelling study of changes prompted by mass migration, greed and racism, and from multiple perspectives. Through a mixture of the author’s own words and from letters of those who were there, we witness the transformation of these communities from small, bucolic camps to thriving commercial centers. Equally interesting is finding out how those who didn’t strike it rich adjusted to their surroundings to survive. This is especially true for the natives of the region, the Miwok Indians.
This change did not come easily and without cost, and the author goes to great lengths to focus on how relations both between camps and within camps were stressed. Within camps, traditional roles of gender had to be altered, as many California minings camps lacked a female population. When females are involved in the mix, we see an equally intriguing departure from traditional gender roles. This interaction within camps is less harsh than the interactions between camps. It is here that we see how racial ideas of the day were used to fuel animus towards non-WASP groups and ultimately drive them from claims.
Sources for this book come from personal correspondence, newspaper articles, and local legends. The stories throughout are interesting in their own right, but when combined, form a compelling study of the changes prompted by mass migration, greed and racism. Beginning with a case study on the famed bandit Joaquin Murrieta, the author then flows into studies on immigrants from across the globe, and how their cultural norms were challenged for the sake of gold.
Johnson’s prose leaves little to be desired. It is lucid, thoughtful, and flows through a number of topics and studies. She keeps the reader interested with anecdotes throughout. This is important, as the organization of this is book can seem scattered. Although the individual stories lack cohesion at times, it is only for the good of greater themes. This is a rewarding read for both academics and casual history “buffs” interested in U.S. cultural, social or economic history.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually finished Roaring Camp in January, and it took me forever to write this review. This book is incredibly dense, and it was kind of difficult to process it all. This is a social history of the Gold Rush, but it also deconstructs the “uncivilized” view of the time period to show how that characterization is a larger part of racialized ideas about the expanding nation.

Essentially, the social world is what Susan Lee Johnson calls “reproductive work”: housework, domestic life, and social activity. These roles were typically assigned to white women, and they eventually became linked to ideas about what was "civilized." Essentially, white ways of doing things equalled civilization. This was of course completely skewed during the Gold Rush, since white women were latecomers to the region.

Socioeconomic and political situations in the United States and abroad motivated men to travel en masse to northern California (which was already populated by indigenous people) in search of gold. The diversity of miners and the absence of women and "civilization" affected every aspect of gold mining on both a micro and macro level. For example, something as small and silly as white Anglo miners’ laundry frustrations played out in racist and sexist divisions of labor that resulted in Chinese miners being pushed out of the diggings and often finding more success in mining towns as cooks or cleaners.

Part of what makes Roaring Camp complicated is that, for every generalization like this one, Johnson outlines several more exceptions and patterns. That said, the narrative that ultimately determined the course of events was the changing American economy. Traditional routes to economic self-sufficiency for Anglo men were dying off, and the possible end of slavery meant freed black and even more Southern white men as job competition. Striking gold was the easiest way to get some economic leverage. These larger insecurities manifested in racist policy, law enforcement, and acts of violence that ultimately gave white Anglo men the upper hand in what should have essentially been a game of chance.

It felt overwhelming to read, and this is an extremely general overview, but ultimately, I liked this book. I didn’t realize how much I was absorbing until I read some other Gold Rush books that made everything here fall into place. It’s a really thoughtful lens to view this event through, and if you want just a nice general overview of events (which this book lacks), Susan Lee Johnson appears in the American Experience Gold Rush documentary to explain it for you.

[Suzanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I marked this as "read" but truthfully didn't get far into the book.... maybe 150 pages. My low rating is partially based on how repetitive the first few chapters were. It's also a result of the tone of the book: scholarly and long-winded, rather than crisp and precise. I'd like to see a less academic approach and more incisive writing.

Too bad, because I find the topic utterly fascinating and I think the author had some interesting ideas. Missed opportunity, despite an obvious abundance of material. She could have saved some topics for academic articles, and edited the book with a view toward a general audience.

[Ashley Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am actually currently taking a class from the author of this book and I hold her in very high regard. She is obviously an extremely intelligent woman and I think this book accents that. Her arguments are well supported, eloquently detailed, and unique. I found the book absolutely fascinating - I have zero past knowledge about the gold rush and, now completing this, I feel that I have a much greater understanding of the complexity of the situation. I recommend this for anyone who wants a look at the gold rush. It was not only historical and academic but at times /quite/ humorous.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is one of the most interesting history books I've ready in a very long time. As a social history of the Gold Rush, the book uses journal entries and legal paperwork to paint a picture of one of the most important events in World History. Susan Lee Johnson definitely destroys the image we all learn about in 8th Grade History of what the Gold Rush was like. She also adds a little humanity to the people who lived through the experience. By the end of the book I was left with the realization that the Old West was definitely wild.

[Donald Linnemeyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had be really excited, but in the end, it was a bit disappointing. What Susan Lee Johnson did, she did well, but in small chunks. Overall, I felt the book lacked cohesion, and though each chapter was fascinating, I didn't think the book was united enough to pull off a strong, single thesis. Fascinating individual studies on ethnicity and gender (just think about it, a culture almost entirely made up of men - who does the laundy, the dishes, the cooking?), so well worth the read, but don't expect a ground-breaking insight into gender and society.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE best work on the gold rush, hands down. Johnson tells the story of the overlooked souls who frequented the mines, especially the non-Americans who migrated to the area. She discusses entertainment and daily life in the Southern Mines, violence and competition there, and various ways the gold rush has been remembered. Her discussions of gender and race are thought provoking. If you're interested in this history this is the FIRST book you should read. Even if you've read other histories, this will provide new insight.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was assigned Roaring Camp as a text book in my Western Expansion history class this spring. It was a really eye-opening book. It really gives one a fresh look at the gold rush in California and who were the participants. I was very glad to have read it. Recommended to anyone who loves history and wants to know more about the people and their times than what you learned in high school or even in lower division college history classes, this is the book to read!

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certainly kept my attention all the way through with a focus on the women and POC, who normally aren't covered in stories of the Gold Rush.

My only complaint is that many of their stories are still necessarily filtered through the white male perspective of her primary sources. She doesn't appear to have researched sources which haven't been translated, and ometimes it was difficult to differentiate a complete lack of primary sources from a specific group with a lack of sources in English.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing. Johnson unearths scores of new material to provide a fresh interpretation of the field reminding us just why the "new frontier" remains its own distinct field.

[Dan Darragh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too "scholarly" for me, although I finally plowed through it. It is interesting that some of the social issue pertaining to race and ethnicity are pretty much unchanged over the last 175 years.

[Billy Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good social history of the mining camps in Southern California during the Gold Rush in the American West.

Johnson looks at previously unexplored areas of social life in the camps.