Striking Gold: Mining for Weather and Climate Data from the Diary of a Forty-Niner

Primary sources such as personal diaries can provide insight into weather and climate conditions in times and places where direct observations are unavailable. The diary of Gideon Nichols provides an especially compelling case study of how such an account can be used to determine spatiotemporal patterns in conditions. Nichols, a farmer on Long Island, elected to venture across the country in 1849 to partake in the California Gold Rush, remaining in the Golden State for multiple years before returning home via both oceanic and overland routes. Using content analysis, we analyze his detailed records of weather conditions throughout his travels, as well as his firsthand account of major events such as the Sacramento flood of 1850. The result is a unique snapshot of the mid nineteenth century climate of numerous physical geographic regions across North America, along with a novel record of weather conditions during the early stages of the California Gold Rush. This research complements past work by introducing a spatial component into the human interpretation of weather conditions, and can be replicated using the diaries of other pioneers who regularly observed environmental conditions.