Seeking a Fortune, Building a Nation
Bradford Skelton was born in Burlington on April 1, 1830. The town was only 31 years old at the time and few residents journeyed beyond their farms and homes. A trip to Boston or to one of the growing towns along the Merrimac was still somewhat of an adventure.
Little could Skelton know what his future held until 1848 when the first flakes of gold were found in a creek near Sacramento, in sparsely-populated California territory. Few also could foresee the changes wrought by the gold rush on the nation and on participants like Skelton who reached gold country in 1852. He experienced many of the travails of life in the mines and wrote about them to his family in Burlington. Though he did not realize it at the time, he was also a participant in one of the most dramatic movements in American history.
The late John Fogelberg, author of “Burlington: Part of a Greater Chronicle,” used Skelton’s letters in telling the story of the town’s first 175 years. After Fogelberg’s death the letters were returned to Burlington. They tell the story of Skelton’s six years in California but more importantly, they reflect the struggles of participants in one of first events that threw people from all parts of the country together in an enterprise where the goals were unknown and the means and values unstated. Though he never became rich from his exploits, Skelton played a part in one of the most dramatic mass movements in American history. In doing so, he, along with the other gold seekers from throughout the country, contributed mightily to building a nation.
Skelton’s experience was repeated in literally thousands of towns throughout the growing nation. Few of his compatriots left written records of their time in the gold fields. His letters now reside in the Town of Burlington’s archives, where they represent an important element in the town’s documentary history.