ABSTRACT
Colonel Richard Mason, in charge of the American military forces in California after the Mexican War (1846–1848), was the first American official to investigate and report on the early gold discoveries to the US government. His report was documented with maps and gold samples, and would later be the basis of President Polk’s announcement in December, 1848, usually credited with starting the gold rush. Mason’s report not only accurately reported conditions in the gold fields, but also warned of the problems that would plague the region for years to come.
