Tales of a fourth-grade ‘49er

MONTROSE — Fourth-grader Noah Domingo, wearing a plaid shirt and Stetson hat, explained his priorities when he landed in San Francisco in 1850.

“I came here to sell things,” he said, channeling Levi Strauss during a play in Kelley Ryder’s class at Fremont Elementary School on Friday. “I want pants that will last for a long time, because that’s what miners want.”

All the students were assigned roles, ranging from John Sutter to John Fremont to drunk miners. As Strauss, Noah explained how the German-born merchant became one of California’s first entrepreneurs, focusing on how his business migrated from making canvas for covered wagons mainly to tailoring sturdy pants that could withstand mud, soot and other hazards of gold mining.

Friday was the 18th annual Gold Rush Day at Fremont Elementary, where all fourth-graders dress in miner wear and experience the California Gold Rush first-hand. The day is full of miner food, miner hygiene (shaving with real shaving cream and Popsicle sticks) and panning for gold.

“It is pretty cool,” Noah said. “I got to dress up. It’s fun.”

California is a big part of fourth-grade standards, and Gold Rush Day is one way students can relive history and exceed learning expectations, teachers said.

“Reading a textbook might not be the whole picture,” Ryder said. “They get to eat what the miners ate, and I think this brings it more to their level, because they can live it.”

Gold Rush Day is among the biggest days of fourth grade, and one of the most memorable, said Donna Wray, who began the tradition 18 years ago.

“Siblings have told their younger siblings it’s the best day of fourth grade,” she said. “They come away with enthusiasm, a better understanding of geography and why people came here from other countries and what the experiment was.”

The day also included presentations by community volunteers knowledgeable about the gold rush and a presentation about California missions, hosted by an actor playing Father Junipero Serra, who founded many of the missions.

For fourth-grader Tanya Avakian, re-creating history meant a break from ordinary school and regular life.

“I really got into it,” she said.

Tanya played Sam Brannan, who historians consider to be the first publicist of the gold rush, and its first millionaire. He made much of his fortune as a merchant, before going on to founding a newspaper.

“He was one of the guys who opened a shop and said, ‘Let’s get rich by buying all the merchandise in California so all the miners will buy shovels and picks from me and I’ll get rich,” Tanya said.

“It’s kind of using [the miners], that’s not very nice, but back then, that wasn’t on the top of their list.”

The students had been preparing for the last month, rehearsing their lines and practicing their songs they preformed in a morning assembly. Scores of parents took pictures and video, many dressing up as miners themselves.

“He’s been talking about it for a few weeks,” Wilfried Geck said of his son Spencer, who played a drunk pioneer in one of the plays.

“He hates being the drunk guy. His classmates tease him, but a lot of parents say this is the one event that sticks in people’s memory about elementary school at Fremont.”