Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Summer 2016

Journal Title

The Journal of San Diego History

Volume Number

62

Issue Number

3-4

First Page

131

Last Page

158

Version

Publisher PDF: the final published version of the article, with professional formatting and typesetting

Disciplines

History | United States History

Abstract

The US-Mexico War (1846-48) transformed the San Diego region by drawing in new investors, among them David Lion Gardner (1816-92) who came from New York to seek his fortune during the Gold Rush. Uncomfortable with the reckless pursuit of profit that he witnessed in San Francisco, Gardiner set up a mercantile business in San Diego. His surviving letters to family members tell the story of his experience in California between 1849 and 1851. They also reveal the capitalist origins of modern San Diego.

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