1. Before the Gold Rush (1848)

Immigrants to California can be classified in two categories: (1) The merchants and craftsmen; they are usually educated, they often speak Spanish and quickly become part of the upper crust of society; (2) Those who migrate to escape their poor or miserable condition; they are usually sailors or whalers, and are uneducated; as a result, they have a hard time making a living in California.

Before 1848, the white population in California only counted 15,000 people. In 1941, most French immigrants lived in the area of Monterey and Los Angeles.

The area is Mexican (it was a Spanish Colony between 1769 and 1821, then, in 1821, Mexico became independent.) As a result, French integration is fairly easy; indeed, Spanish is close to French and they share the Catholic religion. Educated people usually intermarry with daughters of local potentates and soon integrate the political and economic elite. French people are not considered as "foreigners." The term :foreigner is used for English and American people only.

The Americans "take" Monterey (and California) in 1846. They start replacing all Mexican and French leaders with American ones. In 1848, by the Treaty of Guadelupe Hidalgo, Mexico sells California to the United States for 15 million dollars.

2. The period of the Gold Rush
 

From the site of the Huntington library

(also see the following site for a short history of the Goldrush.)

And . . . on January 1848, James Marshall, a carpenter from Missouri observes a shining object in a river while in the process of constructing a sawmill. His employer tries to keep the information secret, but soon, everybody know. The rush is on . . .

The French participate in the rush and take advantage from the fact that they know the area already. Some of them become rich very quickly; a certain Claude Chana collects $25,000 worth of gold in a one year period. Another person, Pierre Théodore Sicard, $60,000, etc. On May 15, 1848, the French Consul in Monterey, Moerenhout, sends the news to the Ministry of Foreign affairs in Paris. Several newspapers spread the news in France. Soon, 25 to 30 thousand French miners and adventurers arrive in California. The first French boat, La Meuse, arrives in California in September 1849 after a 173 day trip. Between November 1849 and April 1851, 91 French boats from Bordeaux, Saint Malo, Marseilles, and Le Havre arrive in San Francisco.

Only a small number of them are farmers. Most are craftsmen, traders, landowners, doctors lawyers, etc. Not all of them intend to become miners. Some of them (especially doctors, lawyers, and speculators) intend to take advantage of the booming economy to practice their own trade.

Only 8.6 percent of them are women. Most of them are single. They are engaged in the making and cleaning of clothing, but also in teaching and arts. For example, three of them become the directors of the first theater in San Francisco.

See the following site on Women in the Goldrush.

Most emigrants leave on their own or with a few friends. However, those who do not have enough money to pay for the trip often leave with one of the numerous organizations such as "la Californienne, les Mines d’or de Californie, la Ruche d’or, la Moisson d’or, l’Aigle d’or, etc.) Some of these organization later became mutual societies in California.

Most French people work in the Gold Mines. As a result, many mines had French names such as: French Town, French Canyon, French Creek, French Corral, French Ravine, French Flat, French Gulch, French Hill, Gravel lot (from Gravelotte), etc. Most of them do not intend to settle in California. Therefore, they do not bother to learn English and are called the "keskydees" by the Americans. They are considered as part of the population of "foreigners," just as the Mexicans, Chinese, and others, with whom they get along well. In 1850, the American miners manage to obtain the imposition of a $30 charge a month for all "foreigners," that is, for anyone who does not speak English. The tax is reduced to $3 a month in 1851.

All in all, the French are considered to have been lucky in their search for Gold. This "luck" is probably due to the fact that many of them were in California before the rush and had an intimate knowledge of the area.

The ‘collection’ of gold peaks in 1852. By the end of the year, most of the easily accessible ore had been collected, and important hydraulic machinery was needed for exploitation. Many people leave, and those who stay work for mining companies.

3. San Francisco

In 1846, San Francisco was still called Yerba Buena (la bonne herbe because of the wild sage that used to grow there). It had 300 inhabitants. It had 2,000 inhabitants by February 1849, 23,000 at the beginning of 1851, and 36,151 at the 1852 census. By 1860, the population had grown to reach 56,000 people

Most of he French lived in the French quarter in the center of town. In 1952, the city of San Francisco counts 1927 French inhabitants, that is 10 percent of the foreign-born population, and 6 percent of the white population. Sixteen percent of them had a previous residence in the US, especially in New Orleans that still serves as a magnet for those who want to come to the US.

Most of the inhabitants are men, merchants or miners who live in the city temporarily during the winter. The 1852 census only 15 percent of women. Among married couples, the most common family has no or few children. Children often stay in France with their families where they wait for the return of their parents. Other families count many children; most often, these were born in the United States.

Besides working in the mines, many Frenchmen practice small trades (petits métiers). They are also (and already) known for their restaurants, liquor stores, and for the fashion industry.

As small trade, some of them sell toothpicks (sic), others sell hay, game, etc. The French are also know as shoeshine boys. Besides those who are involved in arts and in teaching, some French women were also successful in prostitution. As one observers notes:

A characteristic of the French quarter is that all social classes co-exist in the same area. As a result, the percentage of people classified as "middle-class" is lower than in other parts of town.

4. Institutions

The French consulate plays an important role in welcoming new immigrants. It gives information about trade and opportunities to prospective immigrants and traders. It also informs people about American legislation and how to best use it to reach one’s ends.

The Church does not seem to play an important role. The French belong to different religions and mix with other national groups. In 1856, Ernest Jaudin writes to his parents:

The Press. The first newspapers usually only survive a few weeks or a few months. They emerge from individual initiatives and die because of a lack of funds. The longest-lasting newspaper is L’Echo du Pacifique which first appears in 1852 and becomes a daily newspaper in 1855. It lasts until 1865 when it is looted by federal troops who argue that the newspaper took a position in favor of the South during the Civil War. Its name changes and becomes Le Courrier de San Francisco.

Mutual societies also play an important role. They often help "lost souls" in finding employment, accommodation, and medical care. The mutual societies are also open to anyone who pays his/her dues. It is, in a sense, a first form of "social security" in a world of uncertainty.

The French hospital soon becomes the largest in San Francisco. It opens in 1851 with 20 beds. In 1858 a 60 by 30 meters hospital is built. Later, a pharmacy is also built and as well as a nursing school and . . . a funeral home.

For the "poorest among the poor," a French Alms house gives shelter to homeless miners. During its first months in 1853, it gives help to some 121 people.

French schools are also built to preserve the French culture and language. The schools result from private initiatives but they are short-lived. Indeed, the poorest people prefer to send their children to the cheaper public school, while the wealthiest send their children to French boarding schools in France.

From the very beginning of their presence in San Francisco, the French have their theaters, their dance parties (bals) and their "cafés chantants." These are the places where the French, in spite of the many divisions (economic, religious, political, etc) come together. As such, they are the main place where language and culture are maintained.

5. Other areas

The French are also active in other geographical areas, including in rural areas such as Santa Clara, Monterey, and Los Angeles.

In the 1850’s, the growing of vines develops in Northern California. The French play a major role in the Santa Clara valley (the present Silicon Valley). Some also grow fruit in the same area

Still a small village in 1848, Los Angeles develops "explodes" after 1876 after the arrival of the Southern Pacific and the railroad from Santa Fe "opens" the city to the Midwest and the rest of the country.

In 1860, some of the French are involved in cattle-raising in the rural areas. The city itself counts many merchants and traders. Many of them are involved in wine-making and bakery (until 1852, there were only three bakers in Los Angeles, and all three of them were French).

Though smaller and even more fragmented, the French community of Los Angeles develops along the same lines as that of San Francisco: consulate, traders, etc. Even though the community is smaller, it is relatively more important so that some people have even claimed that it was "as French as New Orleans." The community also fails to organize its own Church, and the Alsatiens/Lorrains also have a hard time working with the other groups in the "sociétés de bienfaisance"

6. Later developments

The French presence will later develop along several lines. In the country, the French will long remain influential in the vineyards (especially on the "chaîne d’or" the hills that separate Santa Clara from Santa Cruz) and fruit growing farms. A fairly large number of shepherds from the Basque country and the Alps (Champsaur) will also come to California (in the Sierras) as "moutonniers".

More French people move to Los Angeles where they thrive as bakers and cooks. In 1910, a Jean Gontard relates the story of someone who told him: