Before the Gold Rush

They met by chance in Mexican-owned California, each drawn there in different years and for different reasons. For John Sinclair, it was the continuation of a continental adventure that began in 1832. For Mary Eyre, it was a dramatic rescue on the Oregon Trail in 1843. They married and settled on a great Sacramento Valley rancho, the predecessors of the tide of Americans who emigrated west in covered wagons in search of a brighter future. The Sinclairs' Rancho del Paso was located at a geographic crossroads that put them square in the middle of history-making events, such as the American military conquest of California, the rescue of the snow-trapped, desperate Donner Party, and the chaotic California Gold Rush. New research reveals previously unknown facts about extraordinary settlers John and Mary Sinclair. This is the true story, told for the first time, of a courageous, resilient couple whose lives and experiences are part of the Golden State's pioneer past.