1850 Woman and Men in California Gold Rush

"Joe Bowers", sometimes called "Old Joe Bowers", is an American

folk song Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be c ...

that originated in the 1850s. Its lyrics detail the protagonist, Joe Bowers, traveling to

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

from

Pike County, Missouri Pike County is a county on the eastern border of the U.S. state of Missouri, bounded by the Mississippi River. As of the 2010 census, the population was 18,516. Its county seat is Bowling Green. Its namesake was a city in middle Kentucky, a reg ...

in order to finance a home for his bride-to-be, Sally Black, though she eventually marries another man. The song was one of the most popular of its time, being a particular favorite among Confederates during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, and still retaining relevance throughout the late 19th and early 20th century. The song is also known for later giving its tune to the

anti-American Anti-Americanism (also called anti-American sentiment) is prejudice, fear, or hatred of the United States, its government, its foreign policy, or Americans in general. Political scientist Brendon O'Connor at the United States Studies Centr ...

Confederate song, I'm a Good Ol' Rebel.

Lyrics

References

{{Reflist American country music songs American folk songs California Gold Rush 1850s songs