Edmund C. Hinde (April 6, 1830 – December 20, 1909) was a

gold miner Gold mining is the extraction of gold resources by mining. Historically, mining gold from alluvial deposits used manual separation processes, such as gold panning. However, with the expansion of gold mining to ores that are not on the surface, ...

and

laborer A laborer (or labourer) is a person who works in manual labor types in the construction industry workforce. Laborers are in a working class of wage-earners in which their only possession of significant material value is their labor. Industries ...

. His life was, at times, extremely difficult and filled with various hardships due to his career as a gold prospector in the 1850s. Throughout most of his adult life Hinde kept detailed diaries on his daily activities. After his death, his son,

Harry Hinde Harry H. Hinde (September 17, 1865 – September 21, 1942) was a Missouri State Representative, businessman, aircraft designer, patent holder, and inventor. Early years Harry Hinde was the son of Edmund C. Hinde and Phobe Martin Hinde. H ...

, donated the diaries to the

California State Library The California State Library is the state library of the State of California, founded in 1850 by the California State Legislature. The Library collects, preserves, generates and disseminates a wide array of information. Today, it is the central ...

. The diaries have provided a wealth of information on a variety of topics, in particular on the California Gold Rush.

Early years

Edmund C. Hinde was the son of

Thomas S. Hinde Thomas Spottswood Hinde (April 19, 1785 – February 9, 1846) was an American newspaper editor, opponent of slavery, author, historian, real estate investor, Methodist minister and a founder of the city of Mount Carmel, Illinois. Members of the ...

and he was born in Urbana,

Champaign County, Ohio Champaign County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,714. Its county seat is Urbana. The county takes its name from the French word for "open level country". Champaign County comprises th ...

on April 6, 1830. Thomas S. Hinde had been a very prominent

newspaper publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

real estate developer Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to others. ...

, and

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

minister. The Hinde family was well known in

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...

, and

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

. Like his other brothers and sisters Edmund grew up in

Mount Carmel, Illinois Mount Carmel is a city in and the county seat of Wabash County, Illinois, United States. At the time of the 2010 census, the population was 7,284, and it is the largest city in the county. The next largest town in Wabash County is Allendale, po ...

. Edmund's father and mother died early and he and his brothers and sisters were forced to either live with other family or fend for themselves. Edmund and his other siblings lived with their older sister Martha and her husband Judge Charles H. Constable during the 1850s. After the death of his parents Edmund was briefly responsible for caring for his younger sister. Once he found suitable accommodations for his sister Edmund left Mount Carmel and took on a variety of menial jobs. He eventually left to mine for gold in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

California gold mining

In 1850 Hinde began his trip to California to look for gold. The trip was harsh and Hinde met with many difficulties on the way to California. Eventually, Edmund and the other prospectors who traveled with him made it to California and they had limited success in mining gold. However, the experience was so challenging that Hinde only stayed a short time gold mining before returning to the Midwest. In his journal Hinde stated that he was swindled out of a large amount of money when he tried to sell the gold he mined upon his return.

Later years

Following Hinde's time prospecting gold during the California Gold Rush he went to Canada for a number of years. It was reported in his obituary that while in Canada he was connected with

Fort Edmonton Fort Edmonton (also named Edmonton House) was the name of a series of trading posts of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) from 1795 to 1914, all of which were located on the north banks of the North Saskatchewan River in what is now central Alberta, ...

. After his time in Canada Hinde returned to various locations in Illinois. Eventually he settled in his hometown of Mount Carmel and was involved in the grain business for the remainder of his life. Four years before Hinde died he moved to

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire and ...

and stayed with his son

. Edmund is buried in

Evergreen Memorial Park and Mausoleum Evergreen Cemetery, or Evergreen Memorial Park is a cemetery in Riverside, California, United States. The first burial occurred in 1872, and the cemetery became the resting place of many historic figures of Riverside. History A portion of the ...

in Riverside.

Additional information

Hinde wrote extensive journals during his life. Part of his journals were donated after his death by his son Harry to the State of California. In 1983 Jerome Peltier edited and published a selection of the journals that related to his experiences with the California Gold Rush.Hinde, Edmund "Journal of Edmund Cavileer Hinde" Edited by Jerome Peltier (Ye Galleon Press Fairfield Washington), 1983 Additionally, Edmund is repeatedly mentioned in the journals of his father,

, which are among the Draper Manuscripts held by the

Wisconsin Historical Society The Wisconsin Historical Society (officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of ...

References

External links