ABSTRACT
Mark Hopkins set out for California in 1849 with his brother and cousin, and promised to keep his remaining brother Moses informed of his progress, and advise him on whether he should join them in California. Hopkins wrote regular letters while at sea and mailed them at ports of call. Once he arrived in California he assessed the situation and set out for the gold fields. It took him a full year before he wrote home again. By that time, his plans had changed considerably. Hopkins would quickly realize that he could make more money mining the miners than in digging for his gold. He would later turn his business sense into an astounding fortune, as one of the founding partners of the Central Pacific Railroad.
