Solomon Baker was a son of one of the original settlers of McLean County, Dr. Isaac Baker. Dr. Baker measured out and platted the original city for James Allin and was a purchaser at that first sale of lots on July 4th, 1831. Solomon was a young man by then and in 1849 he departed Illinois with a group of men from Bloomington to find their fortunes in the California gold mines. Traveling overland, the trails were overgrazed with little forage for the teams. On his journey, Solomon and his men stopped at the Donner cabin and observed that scene of unimaginable carnage.
Everyone left behind in Bloomington was anxious to hear the adventures of the hardy men who went to California, and their letters were frequently printed in the paper. We do not know what education Solomon had, but his letters were well written and full of descriptive language to convey his experiences in the strange country of California.
On January 1, 1850 Solomon's letter of October 15, 1849 announced that the men had reached the California gold hills after five months of traveling over the prairie and mountains. the men had tried their hands at digging already and the only one with any success was Mr. Taylor, who had accumulated about one dollar an hour after digging a few hours. Other, more experienced miners among the 5000 men there were finding an ounce a day on average, while other luckier men were finding pounds per day! Solomon and his company stayed only 5 days among the Uber mines before continuing to Sacramento. The city contained about 10,000 souls, most living in thousands of canvas tents. In Sacramento Solomon observed fifty or more barks and small vessels in the harbor that had come down the river from San Francisco.
The state of society is far better than I expected to find, indeed where I expected to find blood shed and carnage, all is peace and harmony. Where I expected to see theft and rioting, all is secure and safe without doors. I have not seen a fight since I came to the city nor have I heard of an article being stolen. There is merchandise of all kinds exposed to the public night and day, there is no need of locked doors here, iron safes and the same state of affairs prevail in the mines. There is one prevailing sin here however which I will mention. Gambling, I have seen bushels of money , gold and silver on one table, the favorite game is Monte, many lose and win fortunes here highly.
Unwilling to be idle, Solomon set to making gold washers, the tools that men used to separate the gold from the black sand. Solomon admitted that he found that he found much more gold in California than he expected to find, but it also required much more effort to acquire than he had anticipated.
I have washed a great many pans full of earth from places in the mines, and I have never washed a pan of earth with getting more or less gold. The mountains are covered with it the hill sides are ladened with it, it is found in the running brook, and in the dry ravines, indeed the whole earth is pregnant with this precious metal. Hence I conclude the mines are inexhaustible, however, I think the cream of the mines so to speak will be taken off in a few years, it will then require a more extensive propelling power than the frail arm of man to make mining lucrative business.
The cost of living in Sacramento required the men to find a fortune -- a 20 square tent rented for $150 a month and a good house rented for $20,000 a year.
Solomon's next letter, written in February of 1850 was less jubilant. He reported that they had found gold, but that their expenses of living "ate up their treasure." Reports of finds in the north (Solomon was in the south) were of course better. Solomon's brother Hiram had traveled with a group of young men to a different spot than Solomon chose and had earned only $400 over his expenses.
I have given up all hopes of becoming a millionaire, but expect to enumerate a competency if I have to remain a number of years, and God knows I am as anxious to see my relatives as any individual in California I often visit you in my nightly wanderings, and hold a joyous tete a tete with my beloved father, sisters and brothers; and oh how disappointed when I awake and find it all dream.
My advice to my friends would be to beware of such reports (of easy money), and if they are in easy circumstances at home let them remain there. If they are in low circumstances and no means of getting a start in the world except by splitting rails at fifty cents per day, let them come to California.
After being in California for one year, Solomon reported that he and his brother Hiram were engaged in selling goods, teaming and hauling to make money. He observed that the large proportion of men were "not making their board." For his part, several mines which he had purchased had not paid out and another was sold out from under him by a dishonest seller. A drought had come to California and without water to wash the gold, no gold could be found. Men bought supplies on credit and were unable to pay. Financial houses in San Francisco and Sacramento were failing because of the bad credit.
I am sincerely of the opinion that it would have been far better for the American people, had the gold mines of California never been discovered. . . . Thousands who were in good circumstances at home, and enjoying all the comforts and blessings of civilized society, have sacrificed all and accepted a life of hardships, privations and danger, and in many instances, their bones have become a prey to the Vulture and the wolf.
Solomon Baker did not return to live in Illinois but settled in Nevada and died there.