The Wolverine Rangers

In December 1848, James Pratt, editor of the Marshall Statesman, invited readers to join him on a gold-seeking expedition. More than fifty Michigan men pooled their resources and formed the “Wolverine Rangers.” Pratt traveled to Independence, Missouri, in March 1849 to buy supplies. The Rangers joined with him in May and headed overland. The letters and diaries they and their companions wrote form one of the most extensive records of Americans’ experiences and emotions as they joined the California gold rush. The Marshall Statesman newspaper published letters from the “Marshall boys” traveling to California to search for gold in 1849. The Wolverine Rangers began their journey “cheerful and happy.” They ended it “destitute,” having been “grossly deceived” by the promise of a short-cut called Lassen’s Cut-Off. When the Rangers realized they could not continue along the freezing, treacherous trail in a large party, they formally disbanded. Only a few had success in gold mining, and many returned to Michigan.