My collage for @shaka's 49th edition of Let's Make a Collage, #LMAC, has a frontier theme:
"There's Gold in Them Thar Hills!" The phrase, which epitomized an era, is attributed to Mark Twain. Gold lay in the ground, waiting to be seized. A kind of frenzy gripped people from all over the world. They rushed first to California, then to Australia and the Canadian Yukon. The lure of sudden wealth changed the frontiers in all three countries. The rapid migration disrupted irreparably the lives of Indigenous peoples who had lived in the affected areas for thousands of years.
Looking for Gold in Klondike, Canada
Picture credit: Asahel Curtis,1898. Public domain. The caption under this picture reads: "Klondiker with packhorse and dog on Porcupine Hill, White Pass Trail, ca. 1898."
In 1896, the Yukon Gold Rush drew more than 100,000 hopeful prospectors to the frozen wilderness. According to History.com, only half of the travelers made it to their destination. Few of these actually struck it rich.
An Australian Gold Diggings: 1855
Picture credit: Edwin Stockqueler (1829-1900). Public domain.
In 1851, an Australian, Edward Hargraves, returned from the United States. He had tried his hand at prospecting in the American West and had failed. However, upon his return to Australia he claimed that he found gold in Bathurst, New South Wales. Soon, other gold fields were discovered and people from all over the world rushed to Australia in search of wealth.
Prospector in California, 1850
Photo credit: L.C. McClure. Public domain.
John Marshall discovered a gold nugget in a California river. It was 1848,and the spur to one of the greatest westward migrations in U. S. history. An estimated 300,000 people flooded the hills of the Sierra Nevada in the span of a few years.
Rush for Gold Changes the Landscape, and History
Portsmouth Square in San Francisco, USA, 1851. Unknown author. Public domain.
In a period of twenty-four months (beginning of 1848 to the end of 1949), the population of San Francisco grew from 1,000 to 25,000.
Families, prospectors, merchants, adventurers flocked to the American West. They imagined the land was theirs for the taking. It did not occur to them that the land might already be occupied. The settlers' naive perspective was abetted by the U. S. government, which offered free homesteads to anyone who would settle on a tract of western land.
A Homesteader in Milton, North Dakota 1898
Photo credit: Unknown. Public domain.
The western land was, of course, occupied. So, as covered wagons crossed mountains and plains, indigenous peoples resisted. They tried to hold onto their land. The prolonged struggle that ensued has been called the Indian Wars.
Protecting the Settlers
Illustration credit: John Ross Browne (1821-1875). Public domain. If you look closely at the picture, you can see teepees in the distance. The U. S. Calvary, and civilians, are 'protecting' settlers.
The story of conflict between indigenous peoples and settlers was repeated in Australia and Canada. In each case, a rush for gold exacerbated tensions as the migration into indigenous territories accelerated settlement.
Fighting Between an Expeditionary Party and Indigenous Australians
Picture by William Hodgkinson, 1861. Public domain.. The painting depicts a battle in Bulla, Queensland, Australia. This was one of many confrontations that took place in Australia's Frontier Wars.
Battle of Fish Creek, 1885 North-West Resistance, Canada
Painting: Fred W. Curzon (1862-1890). Public domain.
In Canada, there were armed confrontations between Indigenous peoples and settlers/government. The battle pictured here was part of a conflict known as the Northwest-Resistance.
Big Bear/Mistahimaskwa 1885
Picture Credit: O.B. Buell. Public domain. Big Bear was a Cree chief who tried to form an alliance with other tribes. The Canadian government's refusal to allow this helped to precipitate the North-West Resistance.
With the victory of the Canadian government, according to Canadian Encyclopedia, came "...the subjugation of Plains Indigenous Peoples in Canada."
My Collage
From my first look at @photoark's evocative picture, I thought of mining:
The rocks did it. A frontier motif evolved pretty quickly. Finding pictures of someone panning for gold was hard. I wanted to erase all signs of modernity. There needed to be a stream, where the prospector panned for gold. I had in my head the idea of a crude frontier cabin: one room, loft bedding, central hearth with a stove for heating and cooking. There's probably a gun inside, for hunting and protection. In the distance, a wagon train progresses slowly as more settlers and prospectors head west.
These are sources for elements in the collage. All are from Pixabay, except the cabin (which came from Unsplash). All are in the public domain, free of copyright:
Mule, Prospector, Woman, Child #1 (in the window), Child #2 (in the window), Wagon, Cabin, Wagon Train (in the distant hills), Mineral Rock #1, Stream,Mineral Rock #2, Mineral Rock #3.
Gif credits: All Pixabay: Winchester rifle, Nugget, Covered wagon
I hope you enjoyed my journey into the past. I recommend you head over to @redheadpei's blog and check out her collage, which speaks eloquently of the plight of the buffalo and First Peoples (in Canada).
Thank you, @shaka, and thank you #lmac community, for another stimulating creative exercise. Many brilliant collages available on @shaka's blog. Go over there and take a look. You'll be glad you did!
Hive on!
Dear AG,
When I saw the photo given by Shaka, it reminded me of an alpine landscape in my home country with alpine huts, pasturing cows, marmots.
You surprised me once again. An idyllic scene by the river, a man digging for gold while his wife just might be calling for meal, two children watching from the cabin window, a grazing mule. Nothing points to the tragedy that the gold rush has caused and which has cost indigenous people their homes and all too often also their lives. Thanks for the many sources where you can learn more about this history period.
Glad to have you back in the game. Your entries greatly enrich this challenge.
All the best and warmest regards,
Anna
Dear Anna,
Thank you! When I was a child we had a lovely, grassy hill I could see from my bedroom window. One day large trucks came and tore up the hill. They carried away gravel that was the essence of the hill. They left behind a pit, a scar in the earth.
I think when I saw great rocks in the template picture, I thought of mining, probably because of my hill.
It was fun imagining the little pioneer family. Little did all those pioneer families know they were part a moment, a period in history that would change the landscape and upend the lives of thousands.
Hills, grazing cows...what a lovely image, an image that has always been in my heart.
I wish you good health and many experiences with idyllic landscape.
With great affection,
Your New York friend,
AG
Dear AG,
It's interesting which associations and memories a photo can evoke.
Congratulations on the second place! Absolutely deserved. Unfortunately I missed the poll this time.
Affectionately your friend from across the sea,
Anna
🌞🌲🌺 🌲🌞
Awesome protrayal of frontier life @agmoore. I love how you placed the figures of the people in the template.
Interesting info on the gold rush. True, how life for the indigenous people changed drastically with the rush of prospectors looking for gold in the different countries.
Thanks so much for the mention. Appreciated.
Hello, and thanks for the reblog. And thank you for those kind words. I had fun imagining my pioneer family.
I told you I love your collage. It's truly like a work of art. Meaningful, moving and beautifully executed. The 'mention' was almost obligatory :))
Hi Ag @agmoore. You are most welcome and thanks again for your kind words.
Have a wonderful week.😊
🌼 🌼
Hello @agmoore. Mark Twain's line gets me in the gut. How many territories were devastated by the gold rush? How many natives were killed by invaders of the golden richness?
In Venezuela there is a place called "El Dorado" which is only shadow, arid land and oblivion. "El Dorado" is a legend of gold diggers but the place exists.
In the state of Bolivar there is currently a big ecological crime because of the greed for gold. The disaster is monstrous.
I like your wake-up call. Showing the top a beautiful mountain (photo) that by greed can be turned into a desolate territory. This is a very timely reflection!
Thank you, @marcybetancourt for stopping by. This is a subject to which I have devoted some attention in the past. I even wrote a small book once called,"Exploration and Conquest, Stories of Indigenous Peoples". I understand your reaction. And I share it.
I'm off to your blog now. I've seen the collage. As usual much thought and planning has gone into it, I can see. I would like to look at it a bit more before I comment.
Be well and peaceful,
AG
I love gold...
And am native American. Well half.
Thank you for sharing this. There was always issues with the indigenous people and the miners.
Those are great pictures of gold. I could have used them in my blog :))
I'm glad the blog rang true for you. That means a lot.
By all means throw them in.
I don't mind. And currently gold mining is a hobbyist endeavor.
I'm out of words, you are a retro personal of this lmac world. The history of your art which I loved to read always.
Hats off! Once again :)
Thank you very much for that great praise. I lack confidence in creating the collages, so I just try to have fun. Happily, my imagination takes me on some strange journeys. Lovely when people come along on those journeys with me.
Thank you for the reblog. Much appreciated.
Unbelievable, I have no words.
A masterpiece.
Not just the collage. 😎
You make me happy, my friend. Thank you :)
Greetings, your collage is a historical reference that reflects the struggle that our ancestors sustained indigenous peoples against the trampling of their territory by the gold rush.
I'm very happy the post has resonated with some readers. This is a legacy from the past, and as @marcybetancourt explains, continues into the present. It was interesting doing research for this post.
Thank you for visiting, @cetb2008. I am planning a trip to your post when my VP is replenished. That is a fantastic collage you created. Creatures from clouds. This is a game children play, and it wonderful when we can still play the game as adults.
Good luck tonight.
Greetings friend thank you very much
:)
Very interesting the story about the edited picture. Really great job
Thank you, @sabsel! I really appreciate those kind words. I have been looking at your dynamic collage and am a bit mesmerized by the 'living' landscape. I like especially the little person who comes to life in the corner. Such a quiet touch, almost could be missed. But delightful.
My visit to your blog will be soon, perhaps tomorrow, because my voting manna is waning. Good luck in the contest.
Shared on Twitter:
Great post, I especially love the pictures and the artwork!
Thank you so very much. I really appreciate those kind words :)
The story, the collage is excellent,
It's the winner.
Thank you very much for that high praise. I have seen your collage and found it delightful, but am working my way around to the different entries as my vote level dwindles and rises. I think the way you went with fantasy worked perfectly. Alice in Wonderland is one of my favorite books of all time. There are days when it seems I have also fallen down a rabbit hole.
Sorry about the power troubles. I know they are persistent in Venezuela. Here, in New York, we have had problems for the last two weeks and it really gave me a headache.
Good luck in the contest, and thank you for stopping by my blog.
Thanks, the problems of energy, internet, water, gas, petrol etc are the day to day
The most important thing is to keep going, learn from mistakes and look for sources of inspiration.
I am in a learning process, your historical collage is a beauty.
:)