Voices of the Golden Ghosts

Miner photo from ca State Library

Photo Courtesy of the California History Room, California State Library, Sacramento, California

In the mountains of Northern California, in Shasta and Siskiyou Counties, one of the largest gold mining events of the 19th century occurred. Within a few years of the first discovery of gold, miners had arrived from all corners of the globe. While contemporary historical accounts depict this rush as a largely indistinguishable mass of opportunists, careful study reveals motivations were far from singular. Among those arriving in the west were a significant number of African Americans. In fact, by 1852 over 2,000 men of African American descent were in the California goldfields. However, today little is ever mentioned about the free and enslaved black men who lived in the northern California wilderness by pick and shovel.

Through the lens of contemporary storytelling, theater, photography, music, and video we will reconstruct the lives of these African Americans. Through collaboration with history professionals and local artists, we will work with African American communities in Redding and Siskiyou County to tell the story of migration and of the experience working in often remote mines. This project will finally provide opportunities for members of the African American community to assert “their” story.

Check out our online show Voices of the Golden Ghosts

Please check out our NEW BOOK on the Golden Ghosts here

Voices of the Golden Ghosts front cover

Follow Voices of the Golden Ghost project on Facebook.

Redding Searchlight article: https://www.redding.com/story/entertainment/2020/02/03/exhibit-explores-lives-african-americans-during-gold-rush/4625210002/

This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Visit www.calhum.org.

For more information about this project:
mark@markoliver.org