Mountain of Gold Town of Fire

Mountain of Gold, Town of Fire,
(Pastel pencil and graphite on paper)

The founding of the town of Coulterville California, book cover illustration - Christine Obers

Depicted is an imagined scenario based on historic accounts.

It's the spring of 1850. George W. Coulter has set up a blue canvas tent near a large oak tree on Maxwell Creek. Inside the tent is a well-stocked supply of every kind of provision a prospector could use. A flag hangs from the front of the tent. California is not yet a state. George Coulter is smoking a pipe near the center of the drawing. To his left is man seated on a log. He is in his early twenties and originally from Scotland. He left his home when he heard of the riches that could be made finding gold. With all the money he had, he paid to travel around the horn to California. The dog sleeping next to him was acquired along the way. The two men to the right, one from France and the other an American, are his partners. They arrived in California by ship also, but they made the arduous trip across the Isthmus of Panama. The three met in San Francisco. George Coulter is giving the young Scot the news of the recent finds in the area. His partners are impatient. They have no interest in the conversation as they load up the mule with enough supplies to sustain them for the next few months. “Times a wasting.” They're in a hurry to find a place to stake their claim before others get their first.