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Gold Rush Maestro
The Journal of August Wetterman
Edited and Annotated By
By Kenneth Brungess
INTRODUCTION
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 Book Excerpt
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The year was 1850 and August Wetterman was just 19 when he and five of his classmates from the prestigious Royal Conservatory of
Music in Stockholm, Sweden successfully auditioned for the position of "ship's band" that they had seen posted about town. The
advertisement promised the winning group, "Free passage 'Round the Horn!" on a brand new brig to gold-rich California in exchange
for their musical services. But Wetterman and his pals were just as interested in the great potential for musical engagements (gigs!)
in boom town San Francisco, which was already attracting entertainers from all over the world.
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At their audition, the young musicians surprised the captain "with three different kinds of instrumentations: stringed-orchestra,
reed band and brass and music. [And the] captain was very much pleased. . .so it was agreed that we should meet him in the city of
Sundswall where his brig was built and loaded with copper, iron, plank, etc. Having something of the Viking in us, we decided to go to California!"
Thus began argonaut-Wetterman's account of his exciting musical adventures in Gold Rush California. From angry seas and unexpected
layovers, (resulting in command performances for Royalty!), to the long-awaited day in April, 1851 when their ship sailed through the
Golden Gate entrance to San Francisco Harbor, and all the way through the turn of the century - Wetterman was never unemployed as a musician!
He achieved a status afforded very few in his day. And because he was a high-regarded player, Wetterman was privileged to witness,
first-hand, some of the most important social and historical events in the development of San Francisco and the young state of California.
The book includes many more of Wetterman's adventures as well as an Addendum that features the following:
Correspondence with Swedish maritime historians with details about Wetterman's ship
The story of three Gold Rush Divas
A look through the Wetterman Family Album, including interviews with living relatives!
The book is available through
Amazon - US and Amazon - UK
Excerpts from the book, Gold Rush Maestro: "The Journal of August Wetterman"
--K.B.
U.S. Copyright, October, 2013 by Kenneth Brungess
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