Edward Gould Buffum was a nineteenth-century American journalist, soldier, and politician whose writings captured the early days of the California Gold Rush. Born in Rhode Island to the prominent New England philanthropist Arnold Buffum, he began his professional writing career as a reporter for the New York Herald. His journalistic pursuits were interrupted by the outbreak of the Mexican–American War in 1846, which prompted him to join the military. Serving as a lieutenant in the 1st Regiment of New York Volunteers, Buffum was deployed to California, arriving in the San Francisco Bay area.\n\nFollowing his military discharge in 1848, Buffum chose to remain in California to participate in the gold rush. His firsthand experiences panning for gold became the basis for his most notable literary contribution, Six Months in the Gold Mine, published in 1850. This work provided readers with a vivid, contemporary account of the hardships and excitement of the era, establishing him as an important chronicler of the American West.\n\nBuffum subsequently resumed his career in journalism, serving as the editor-in-chief of the Alta California, one of the state's earliest and most influential newspapers. His prominence in the community led to his election to the California State Assembly, where he served during the 1855 session. He eventually returned to the East Coast to work as a special correspondent for the New York Herald, a role that took him to Europe. Buffum died in Paris in 1867.
