Luzena Stanley Wilson was someone who didn't let opportunity pass her by. The son of a Presbyterian minister, Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) was a president with strong moral convictions. Luzena earned a living as well as her husband's adoration using her skills as a cook, boarding house owner-operator, and a banker. Yet in foreign matters, Wilson . COWGIRL inspires the Modern Western Lifestyle, Luzena Stanley Wilson stood in the center of her empty, one-room, log home in Andrew County, Missouri, studying the opened trunk in front of her. Torrie instantly connected with wrestler Billy Kidman backstage. But behind the myth of the games creation is an untold tale of theft, obsession and corporate double-dealing. The native tribes of California saw themselves as stewards not owners of the land. Her nickname was Wilson Luzena Stanley; Hunt Luzena Stanley. I little realized then the task I had undertaken. Willis Jepson, one of Masons friends, wrote a letter to the Wilsons oldest son Jay explaining why he believed Mason chose to leave his home and family. In the six months she lived in Sacramento, she saw only two other women. Luzena recounted her memoirs to her daughter Correnah, in which she describes her journey from the early days in Sacramento, her founding of the "El Dorado" hotel in Nevada, and her purchase of land in Vaca. He was found guilty of theft, not only of the mule, but also the earnings of the young man who had placed confidence in him, [and who] gave him his bag of gold dust to take out. Tuesday. According to her journal entries, lawbreakers were dealt with quickly and harshly. On July 22, 1850, she witnessed the severe punishment inflicted upon a man who had stolen a mule. As the Wilsons moved west, they found the trail littered with household items discarded to lighten loads of the tired beasts. Luzena, Forty-Niner, was a determined and strong-minded personage a woman of the real pioneer type, Jepson noted. There were few women in Sacramento or the outlying gold mining camps. He left the house on an errand of ejectment, taking with him a witness, in case he should be killed or be forced to kill the squatters, many of whom knew and feared his reckless and determined purpose, would not have hesitated to dispose of him with a bullet.. Well-respected judges, such as Murray Morrison and Justice Serranus Clinton Hastings of the California Supreme Court, were frequent guests at the establishment.24, In January 1855, Luzena and Mason welcomed a third son to their family, Mason Jr. The September evening before the Wilsons finally descended the Sierra foothills into Sacramento, Luzena Wilson got a taste of how she would make her fortune in California. In the next episodes, we will hear the story (Enter your ZIP code for information on American Experience events and screening in your area.). After graduating from Princeton University in 1879, Wilson studied law. Luzena sold the property for $100 to a miner. Rumors circulated during that time suggested that Mason might have been suffering from a mental illness. We took possession of a deserted hotel which stood on K Street, Luzena wrote in her memoirs. Prior to news of the Gold Rush captivating Masons imagination, the plan was to work the multi-acre homestead and pass the farm on to their children and their childrens children. Thomas Woodrow Wilson was born on December 28, 1856, in Staunton, Virginia. He did not travel far before he was overtaken and brought before a jury, the, newspaper reported on the scene. In a few short moments they were off on a journey west to California. You were a seeker of truth and wisdom. The family moved toward the coast and settled beneath an oak tree in a little valley called Vaca, named after the property's Californioowner. Mason became an agent for the Wells Fargo Company and operated the Wells Fargo office out of the hotel.26, In December 1872, after twenty-eight years of marriage, Mason abandoned his wife and family to travel to Missouri and Texas. Eventually, Luzena and Mason Wilson became substantial landowners in the town of Vacaville. The $10 Biscuit This hotel was tenanted only by rats that galloped madly over the floor and made journeys from room to room through openings they had gnawed in the panels. the '49ers found a lot of gold and built homes there. most people who came from China stayed in San Francisco. Luzena invested their money in numerous properties in the area. 1822), a blacksmith, were natives of England who married in Rhode Island in 1843 and almost immediately schemed to escape to the West. Luzena Stanley Wilson, '49er (Dodo Press) | Luzena Stanley Wilson (c. 1821-1902) was a California Gold Rush entrepreneur. By the time her husband came back that evening she already had twenty men eating at her table in the El Dorado hotel. In 1872 Mason Wilson abruptly abandoned his family and moved to Texas. Mason supplied the variety of meat Luzena served to her boarders. The name 'Ghana' stems from the Soninke language and means 'Warrior King'. Not long after that, government surveyors came to officially lay out the town of Benicia in Vaca Valley. The red glare fell far back into the pine woods and lighted them like day; it wrapped the moving human creatures in a fiendish glow, and cast their giant shadows far along the ground. He left the house on an errand of ejectment, taking with him a witness, in case he should be killed or be forced to kill the squatters, many of whom knew and feared his reckless and determined purpose, would not have hesitated to dispose of him with a bullet.23, The courts were called upon to intercede and settle the matter; in the interim, the Wilsons moved from Benicia to Vaca Valley. During the two months she operated the boarding house there was never a vacant room. At times I have had a larger amount of money in my charge than would furnish capital for a country bank. Luzena did provide capital for Nevada City residents at ten percent interest on loans. Luzena recounted her memoirs to her daughter Correnah, in which she describes her journey from the early days in Sacramento, her founding of the El Dorado hotel in Nevada City, and her purchase of land in Vaca. If I had, I think I should have stayed in Andrew County. It would take five months for the Wilsons to reach their westward destination. Women came to California from many countries -- including France, Mexico, Peru, Chile and China -- to make money in the gold rush economy. Women Get Rich The family moved toward the coast and settled beneath an oak tree in a little valley called Vaca, named after the property's Californioowner. Also a trained anthropologist, Hurston collected folklore throughout the South and Caribbean reclaiming, honoring and celebrating Black life on its own terms. We built the fire at night close to the wagon, under which we slept. Mason agreed, and the two decided to go into the hospitality business. Wilson, Luzena Stanley, 1819-1902. Everyday more and more immigrants poured in from the plains or got off the steamers that brought them to California via the Isthmus of Panama each one was eager to get to the mountains to hunt for gold. They built a mercantile and furnished it with all the supplies prospectors needed. Sex Trade All of her worldly possessions were tucked inside it: family Bibles, two quilts, one dress, a bonnet, a pair of shoes, and a few pieces of china. Also collecting gold was a job. We were again penniless, however, and felt that we must get to work, Luzena noted in her journal. Get the latest on new films and digital content, learn about events in your area, and get your weekly fix of American history. In 1850 women made up just three percent of the non-Native American population in California's mining region. The verdict of guilty was givenand his punishment twenty-five lashes on his bare back, and [he was] compelled to work at $5 per day.. They sold their oxen for $600 and purchased a hotel called the Trumbow House. The apron would not have made a significant difference in the weight of the wagon but it symbolized the need to prioritize in order to survive the passage over the vast terrains. The journal she started at the beginning of their harrowing trip did not end when she arrived in California on October 1, 1849. Wilson was a respected pioneer of Solano County, and was for many years a resident of Vaca Valley, the notice informed readers. Her parents, Asa and Diane Hunt, had relocated from Piedmont, North Carolina, to Saint Louis in 1843, but the trip was comparatively easy. On Her Own "Nothing but the actual experience will give one an idea of the plodding, unvarying monotony, the vexations, the exhaustive energy, the throbs of hope, the depths of despair, through which we lived," Wilson recalled in her memoir. Luzena Wilson opened another hotel and called it El Dorado. The population was about two thousand wood buildings, forty-five cloth and tent, three hundred campfires, etc., in the open air and under trees, Luzena recorded in her memoirs about the Gold Rush town. Cholera spread and the dead were hastily buried along the trail. Break in the Levee Surprisingly it was not a scientist, but a young farmer from Vermont, who took the first micro-photograph of a snowflake in 1885, when he just 19 years old. Wilson came overland to California from Missouri with her husband and two small children in 1849. Initially Luzena Wilson thought going to California "a small task," but the journey was not to be taken lightly. Edith Bolling Wilson was born on October 15, 1872, in Wytheville, Virginia, US. Since there were virtually no women to tend to the men's needs, men often interacted with women they didn't know. Wilson came overland to California from Missouri with her husband and two small children in 1849. . Luzena Wilson was born on January 01, 1819 (died on January 01, 1902, she was 83 years old) in . You could have seen your future lives. Luzena, Mason, and their children were among the more than twenty-five thousand people who came west in 1849. Luzena Stanley Wilson (c. 1821-1902) was a California Gold Rush entrepreneur. After a few days in Sacramento, the Wilsons sold their oxen to purchase a stake in a hotel. They were scorched by heat, enveloped in dust that reddened their eyes and parched their throats; they were bruised, scratched, and bitten by innumerable insects. if ( 'querySelector' in document && 'addEventListener' in window ) { The Wilsons lacked the funds to purchase a wagon and team to get to the boomtown. According to her obituary, that ran in the July 12, 1902, edition of the, newspaper, Luzenas funeral service was held at her daughters home. He grew up on a plantation called Montpelier with 11 younger siblings. Monopoly is Americas favorite board game, a love letter to unbridled capitalism and our free market society. In 1849 Luzena Wilson set out for California in a covered wagon with her husband and two little boys, hungry to join the tide of gold seekers. There was no start at all. 16 . Luzena Stanley Wilson, ne Hunt (c.18201902[1]) was a California Gold Rush entrepreneur. Mrs. By 1858, the Wilsons had outgrown the small, temporary hotel they initially built in the area and decided to have a new one constructed at a cost of $14,000. The journal she started at the beginning of their harrowing trip did not end when she arrived in California on October 1, 1849. He did not travel far before he was overtaken and brought before a jury, the Sacramento Transcript newspaper reported on the scene. Three payments had been made on the plot of land the Wilsons purchased in January 1847. At the time, Sacramento was infested with the horrible creatures., After three months, the Wilsons moved on to a valley north of Sacramento called Benicia. Donner Pass, a seven-thousand-foot barricade of naked rock lay beyond the camp. He swore that he would either have the land or kill every man who disputed his ownership. Observer Albert Bernard wrote, "Nearly all these women at home were streetwalkers of the cheapest sort, but out here, for only a few minutes, they ask a hundred times as much as they were used to getting in Paris. Elk, antelope, geese, pheasant, cattle, and bear were all on the menu at various times. Late in 1850, Luzena expanded her commercial enterprise, hiring cooks and waiters.14. El Dorado burned to the ground, taking with it the Wilson's fortune. 00:20:46 - Queens of the Mines features the authentic stories of gold rush women who blossomed from the camouflaged, twisted roots of California. [1]The family had moved to Andrew County, Missouri by 1843, and in 1844 Luzena . Here are some interesting Ghana facts which were chosen and researched by kids especially for kids. One afternoon in late December 1849, after days of heavy rain, Wilson was cooking supper in Sacramento when she heard the cry "the levee's broke!" Initially Luzena Wilson thought going to California "a small task," but the journey was not to be taken lightly. It wasnt until the sun began to slowly sink in the sky and Mason announced it was time to make camp that Luzena became terrified. [2] The family had moved to Andrew County, Missouri by 1843, and in 1844 Luzena married Mason Wilson there.[3]. Dangerous Passage During their stay in Nevada City the roads had been drastically improved. Women Get Rich In early July 1850, a prospector who appeared as though he could not afford anything gave Luzena a gold claim in exchange for one of her delicious dinners. They were to Nevada City what the Palace Hotel was to San Francisco.15, Not long after the Wilsons mercantile opened for business, Luzena recognized a need for a bank in the area and determined to provide for the growing community. Mills College, Calif. :The Eucalyptus press, 1937. warning Note: These citations are software generated and may contain errors. Break in the Levee By the end of the summer in 1850, Luzena had an average seventy-five to two hundred boarders living at the establishment, each paying $25 a week.13, She named her establishment El Dorado after the fabled kingdom in Spanish America supposedly rich in precious metals and jewels, which had lured sixteenth century explorers away from their homes. There was no place of deposit for money, Luzena noted in her memoirs, and the men living in the house dropped into the habit of leaving their [gold] dust with me for safe keeping. Solano County historian Sabine Goerke-Shrode called Luzenas book an important historical source illustrating the Gold Rush from a womans perspective.28, On July 11, 1902, Luzena died of thyroid cancer. As always occurs to the mind of a woman, I thought of taking in boarders, she wrote in her journal. For a time, things were going very well for the pair and their sons, and then a heavy, substantial rain came and wiped out Masons crops. 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