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Concepción Earthquake
According to field observations the tsunami heights reached ca. 14 m in the coastal area of the Maule region…diminished progressively northwards to 4-2 m near Valparaíso (andeangeology). “That was the year of the floods, which were immortalized in schoolchildren’s textbooks and in their grandparents’ memories. . . .a series of minor temblors, which came like God’s wrath, finished destroying everything . . .” (38-39, Narrator). The author is making Jacob Todd character development and suspense. -
The First Opium War
“Beyond the health problems related to opium addiction, the increasing opium trade with the Western powers meant that for the first time, China imported more goods than it exported.”(history.state.gov). “a year of typhoons, bad harvest, and famine . . .” (187, Narrator). The author is creating a character that comes from a place full of misfortune, that’s giving him character development that’ll eventually tie in with the main story and how he interacts with other characters. -
Gold Discovered in California
“January 24, 1848, when James Marshall made his customary inspection of the sawmill he was building for John Sutter. During the previous night, Marshall had diverted water through the mill's tailrace .He noticed some shining flecks of metal left behind by the running water. He was pretty sure that it was gold.”(parks.ca.gov). “ . . .rich veins of silver and gold were discovered in the north” (65, narrator) The discovery of Gold in California creates opens a new door to the story. -
Mother Load Trek
“Mother Lode Country, gold rush belt, stretching through the Sierra Nevada foothills in central California, U.S.” (britannica). “Eliza rode the length of the mother load from south to north.” (Narrator) The author writes this to tell us how much Eliza traveled. How much she had to go through. -
Migration to SF
“Tao Chi’en’s and Eliza Summers feet first touched the soil of San Francisco on a Tuesday in April of 1849, at two o clock in the afternoon.”(P.264) Tao Chien and Eliza have just arrived in San Francisco and Eliza expresses her unique feeling of freedom as she steps onto the land. -
Ice Storm
“The last days of January 1850 witnessed one of the worst ice storms ever seen in those parts”. There was a strong ice storm in San Francisco, California and no one dared to leave the house. This connects to a real life event of surprise snowstorm of 1976 turning the San Francisco Bay into snow.
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California becomes newest state in the union
“In September of 1850, Tao was present at the noisy patriotic celebration when California became the newest state in the union.”
This happened when the American Nation took in the whole continent, from the Atlantic to the pacific. This made the fever for gold begin to take shape of enormous collective disillusion. -
California tax on mining
“The year 1850, the legislature of California approved a tax on mining operations designed to protect whites.” When it came to blacks and Indians working to get gold, they couldn’t only achieve it through slavery and foreigners had to pay $20 and renew their rights to their claim monthly. If they ever didn’t obey city laws in San Francisco, the sheriff would take their mine and give it to an American.