Gold Rush Music Collection 3 by RoyalBCMuseum

During BC’s gold rush, the array of music was as diverse as the Euro American and Chinese miners themselves. Gathering for a drink and a dance or sitting outside cabin or tent, music conveyed humor and excitement amidst hardship and isolation. Music was a communal experience. For our research we reviewed archival diaries for comments on music being played in saloons and examined popular sheet music and song books of the era, and the folksongs of coastal China. The music played here is typical of the period.