Record Detail
People of Sacramento Archive

Caption: Joseph Papini, center, who came here from Italy for gold.

Date: 1884

Historical Context:
Shown here in the center is Joseph Papini who came here as a young man from Italy to mine for gold. Financial conditions in Italy were extremely bad at the time, so immigration to the U.S. offered the only hope for many. Shown with Papini is Philip Tuescher (possibly spelled Tescher) on left, and his brother Dan Tuescher, on right. Both of these men came to Coloma in 1848; Philip came to work in Sutter's sawmill and ended up mining all his life. Both Philip and Dan enlisted in the Civil War in Auburn, El Dorado County, and were part of the "Coloma Grays" volunteer company.

Ethnic Group: Italian

Place: Sacramento

Events: n.a.

Key Words:
portrait
resources
factory
settlement
why come?

Image Number: 1124

Objects/Items of Note: Typical miners clothing; mining tools such as pick-axe, shovel, gold pan (and, of course, amalgam of mercury and gold in the pan).

Name/Biographical Data: Philip Tuescher, Joseph Papini, and Dan Tuescher.

Image Credit: SMHD, Sacramento Ethnic Communities Survey Collection. Mrs. Victor Fancher, donor.