Diary of California Gold Rush Trek, 1849

The diary covers most of 1849, from March 1 until October 2. It is the handwritten account of Charles Hicks, a Newarker who traveled to California as part of the California Gold Rush. At the end of the diary is a list of the 22 men who traveled in this party, including Hicks. The names on the list include several with long-standing Newark and New Jersey family names, including Pennington, Kinney, Meeker, Joralemon, and Canfield.

Also included in the collection are several items: a newspaper clipping featuring a photo of Newark businessman Frank A. Wilkinson, a receipt from the general store owned by Charles Hicks in the 1870s, some California Gold Rush postage stamps issued in the 21st century, an itinerary of the trip to California compiled from the diary by the donr's mother, and a map of the United States with the route taken by the party outlined by the donor's mother.