Attracted by the prospect of enjoying fabulous riches spurred by news of the California Gold Rush, Seth Lesser left New York for California in 1850. He knew nothing of prospecting for gold as he was a haberdasher. While reading the August 19, 1848 edition of the New York Herald, he came upon the idea of becoming a prospector. So he packed his pick and shovel and sold his haberdashery shop. To the West he headed in a steamship.
Many dreamers like Seth Lesser died on the way to California. Thus, for him, having reached San Francisco in one piece, was, in itself, an accomplishment. His ship’s destination was the Isthmus of Panama, which it reached in eight months’ time. He survived famine, typhoid fever and cholera. He traveled through the jungle by mule. He reached the Pacific side of Panama and waited for a ship that would bring him to San Francisco.
San Franciso was a booming town when Seth Lesser arrived. It was full of newly-established businesses. For him, the place holds a lot of possibilities. With his fellow-prospectors whom he met on his way, he rented a room. He then began the work for which he had no preparation. His fellow-prospectors were lucky. He was not. He abandoned his plan and decided to do what he did best: being a haberdasher. The population of San Francisco grew as the demand for his business grew. Though Seth Lesser did not find gold in the California Gold Rush, he became a successful and eventually, a rich man.
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