The Gold Fever Strikes Steilacoom
A local citizen hits a pocket of gold, sparking a frantic rush among town residents.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The most intense excitement that has ever been created in this town, or any other in Washington Territory, was caused here today by the unmistakable discovery of gold. One of our citizens, Mr. P. M. Muse, took his spade and pan at an early hour this morning and repaired to a spot at the head of high water, dug out a pan full of the earth, washed the same, and found it to contain a handsome quantity of beautiful, real, shining gold. Soon the news flew like wild-fire over the entire length and breadth of Steilacoom, and men and boys were seen hurrying to the spot, armed and equipped with shovels, picks and pans. All went to work with high hopes and hearty good will, and none without success. Some $25 probably have been washed out today from a hole about two feet square. One man washed out a beautiful specimen of virgin gold weighing $2. Claims are already being taken and companies formed, and everything promises that the work will be prosecuted vigorously.
“Soon the news flew like wild-fire over the entire length and breadth of Steilacoom, and men and boys were seen hurrying to the spot.”
The gold fever of 1854 was a recurring theme in the early settlement of the Pacific Northwest, where the promise of mineral wealth often dictated the flow of migration. While this specific discovery near Steilacoom did not lead to a lasting industrial boom, it highlights how quickly small frontier towns mobilized in search of sudden prosperity.
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