Japanese Cane, Revolutionary Telescope & I.W. Baker's...

Tukufu: THIS WEEK ON HISTORY DETECTIVES: WHAT CAN THE MESSAGE ON THIS CANE EXPOSE ABOUT LIFE BEHIND BARBED WIRE IN WORLD WAR II AMERICA?

I'M KIND OF SPEECHLESS RIGHT NOW.

IT BRINGS IN A LOT OF EMOTION.

Elyse: WHAT CAN THIS TELESCOPE REVEAL ABOUT AMERICA'S EARLIEST STRUGGLES FOR INDEPENDENCE?

THIS WAS A TREMENDOUS COLONIAL VICTORY.

Wes: AND IN AN ENCORE PRESENTATION, WHAT ROLE DO THESE DRAWINGS OF GIANT GOLD NUGGETS PLAY IN ONE OF THE LARGEST MASS MIGRATIONS IN AMERICAN HISTORY?

Elvis Costello: ♪ WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES ♪ ♪ I GET SO ANGRY WHEN THE TEARDROPS START ♪ ♪ BUT HE CAN'T BE WOUNDED 'CAUSE HE'S GOT NO HEART ♪ ♪ WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES ♪ ♪ IT'S JUST LIKE WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES ♪ ♪ WATCHIN' THE DETECTIVES ♪ OUR FIRST CASE ASKS WHAT THIS CANE UNCOVERS ABOUT A FAMILY'S HIDDEN LIFE DURING WORLD WAR II.

BEGINNING IN THE LATE 1800s, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF JAPANESE IMMIGRANTS FOUND SUCCESS AS FARMERS IN THE FIELDS OF CALIFORNIA.

THEY RAISED FAMILIES FAR AWAY FROM THE FEUDAL LAND OF THEIR BIRTH.

ON DECEMBER 7, 1941, FOR MANY, THAT DREAM TURNED INTO A NIGHTMARE.

THE SURPRISE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR CAST SUSPICION ON IMMIGRANTS OF JAPANESE DESCENT.

WITHIN MONTHS, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT CONSIGNED MORE THAN 100,000 OF THEM TO RELOCATION CAMPS FOR THE DURATION OF THE WAR.

NOW SCOTT HIROTSU OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, HAS AN HEIRLOOM WHICH DATES BACK TO THOSE DIFFICULT DAYS.

I'M HOPING THAT THE CANE WILL UNLOCK SOME FAMILY SECRETS.

I'M STARTING MY INVESTIGATION WITH A FEW QUESTIONS FOR SCOTT.

SO WHAT IS THIS YOU HAVE HERE?

IT'S MY GRANDFATHER'S CANE.

DID YOU KNOW YOUR GRANDFATHER VERY WELL?

NO, HE DIED THE YEAR I WAS BORN.

SCOTT SAYS HIS GRANDPARENTS, KIKUNOSHIN AND ICHI HIROTSU, WERE BORN IN JAPAN IN THE LATE 1800s AND CAME TO THE UNITED STATES AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY.

WHEN HIS GRANDMOTHER DIED AT AGE 101, SCOTT FOUND THE CANE AMONG HER THINGS.

SCOTT NEVER KNEW HIS GRANDFATHER TO BE A WOOD CARVER, SO HE DOESN'T KNOW WHERE IT CAME FROM.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS SAYS ON THE CANE?

I THINK I COULD KIND OF READ THIS PART, WHICH SAYS -- I THINK IT SAYS "CAMP."

HE WAS IN A JAPANESE INTERNMENT CAMP.

A JAPANESE INTERNMENT CAMP?

SCOTT'S FATHER AND GRANDPARENTS HAD BEEN INTERNED AT A PLACE CALLED GILA RIVER.

ALTHOUGH HE SAYS THEY WERE LARGELY SILENT ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES, SCOTT RECENTLY LEARNED HIS GRANDFATHER HAD BEEN MOVED FROM THE GILA RIVER CAMP.

HE WAS INTERNED AT A DIFFERENT INTERNMENT CAMP THAN MY FATHER AND MY GRANDMOTHER.

- THEY WERE SEPARATED?

- YES.

I THINK MY GRANDFATHER WAS CONSIDERED A HIGH RISK.

SCOTT SAYS BEFORE THE WAR, HIS GRANDFATHER HAD BEEN A SENIOR FIGURE IN THE JAPANESE DISTRICT OF WALNUT GROVE, CALIFORNIA.

THE JAPANESE CALLED IT KAWASHIMO.

HE WAS VERY INVOLVED AS A COMMUNITY LEADER.

I KNOW HE WAS PUT IN CHARGE OF BUILDING THE BUDDHIST TEMPLE THAT'S IN WALNUT GROVE.

WHAT QUESTIONS DO YOU HAVE FOR ME?

I WOULD LIKE TO FIND OUT WHAT IT SAYS EXACTLY AND WHO MADE IT.

I'LL DO MY BEST, AND I'LL GET BACK TO YOU AS SOON AS I CAN.

DO YOU MIND IF I TAKE THE CANE WITH ME?

NOT AT ALL.

[ ♪♪♪ ] SCOTT'S GRANDFATHER'S CANE IS THE SECOND OBJECT THAT I'VE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO INVESTIGATE PRODUCED IN THE JAPANESE INTERNMENT CAMPS DURING WORLD WAR II.

IN SEASON TWO, I HAD A CASE INVOLVING PAINTINGS CREATED AT A JAPANESE CAMP IN TULE LAKE, CALIFORNIA, SO I DO KNOW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF INTERNMENT.

PRESIDENT FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT'S ORDER 9066, ISSUED IN FEBRUARY 1942, ALLOWED THE SECRETARY OF WAR TO DESIGNATE CERTAIN AREAS AS MILITARY ZONES FROM WHICH PEOPLE COULD BE EXCLUDED AND EVENTUALLY REMOVED.

AND THAT REALLY LED TO THE CREATION OF INTERNMENT CAMPS ALL AROUND THE UNITED STATES TO LOCK UP THE 120,000 INDIVIDUALS OF JAPANESE ANCESTRY IN THE UNITED STATES.

ALTHOUGH SOME PEOPLE OF GERMAN AND ITALIAN DESCENT WERE ALSO DETAINED, THE VAST MAJORITY HAD JAPANESE ANCESTRY.

THAT'S THE RACIAL UNDERTONE WHICH MAKES THE WHOLE INTERNMENT CAMP LEGACY SOMETHING THAT WAS HARD TO SWALLOW.

LET ME SEE WHAT I CAN FIND ABOUT GILA RIVER, WHERE THE CANE MAY HAVE BEEN CARVED.

THIS CAMP WAS OPENED IN JULY OF 1942, AND IT STAYED OPEN UNTIL NOVEMBER OF 1945.

GILA RIVER WAS BUILT ON AN ARIZONA INDIAN RESERVATION OVER THE TRIBE'S OBJECTIONS.

THIRTEEN THOUSAND MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN WERE INCARCERATED THERE, INCLUDING ISSEI, THOSE BORN IN JAPAN, LIKE SCOTT'S GRANDPARENTS, AND NISEI, THE NEXT GENERATION, BORN IN THE UNITED STATES.

I NEED TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON THERE.

BUT THE NEXT THING I NEED TO DO IS GET THE INSCRIPTION TRANSLATED.

[ ♪♪♪ ] SAN FRANCISCO-BASED ARTIST TAKAYO MUROGA FREDERICKS HAS AGREED TO HELP.

HERE IS THE CANE.

OH, THAT'S BEAUTIFUL.

THIS KIND OF SCRIPT WAS MORE COMMON IN OLDER GENERATION.

SOME OF THE CHARACTERS USED HERE ARE NO LONGER USED.

IT SAYS "SHOWA 18" HERE.

SHOWA 18?

YEAH, SHOWA 18 IS 1943.

- OKAY.

- YEAH.

AND HERE IT SAYS "DECEMBER."

SO THIS CANE WAS MOST LIKELY MADE A LITTLE BIT PRIOR TO DECEMBER OF 1943.

I THINK SO, YEAH.

AND HERE IT SAYS "ARIZONA."

AND HERE IT SAYS "CONCENTRATION CAMP."

- CONCENTRATION CAMP?

- MM-HMM.

TAKAYO SAYS CONCENTRATION CAMP TRANSLATES TO A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE WERE FORCED TO GO.

TAKAYO READS THE MESSAGE ON THE OTHER SIDE.

IT IS ESPECIALLY EVOCATIVE.

"IT'S THE END OF THE YEAR.

"IT'S QUIET IN THE CAMP.

I LIVE MY LIFE FOR CARVING OR ENGRAVING ALL DAY LONG."

IN JAPANESE CULTURE, NEW YEAR IS A BIG HOLIDAY, AND A LITTLE BIT SIMILAR TO CHRISTMAS HERE.

AND I CAN FEEL ARTIST'S, LIKE, A LONELINESS.

TAKAYO SPOTS A CLUE: THE ARTIST WHO MADE THE CANE APPEARS TO HAVE SIGNED IT.

SUGIYAMA TOGAKU.

- SUGIYAMA TOGAKU?

- YES.

AND WHAT IS TOGAKU, THAT'S HIS FIRST NAME?

YEAH, BUT OFTEN IN JAPANESE TRADITIONAL PAINTING OR CALLIGRAPHY, PEOPLE USED ARTISTIC NAMES INSTEAD OF REAL NAMES.

SO I SHOULD BE ABLE TO LOCATE TOGAKU PRETTY EASILY GIVEN THAT IT'S A UNIQUE NAME.

NO, UNFORTUNATELY, BECAUSE, LIKE, AN ARTIST'S NAME IS NOT REGISTERED AS AN OFFICIAL RECORD.

TAKAYO SAYS THE SURNAME, SUGIYAMA, IS COMMON AND WILL BE DIFFICULT TO TRACK DOWN.

PERHAPS A CAMP SURVIVOR CAN HELP ME IDENTIFY THE ARTIST.

LITTLE IS LEFT OF THE GILA RIVER CAMP.

AFTER THE WAR, THE U.S.

RETURNED THE LAND TO ITS NATIVE-AMERICAN OWNERS.

THESE DAYS, THE TRIBES GUARD THEIR PRIVACY.

91-YEAR-OLD MAS INOSHITA HAS AGREED TO MEET ME AT A NEARBY PHOENIX PARK.

MAS IS NISEI, BORN IN CALIFORNIA IN 1919.

SO WHEN DID YOU ARRIVE AT CAMP?

JUNE 16, 1942.

HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN YOU ARRIVED AT THE CAMP?

I WAS 22.

MAS TELLS ME HE WAS FARMING FAMILY LAND IN THE SANTA MARIA VALLEY WHEN THE WAR BEGAN.

SIX MONTHS LATER, HE WAS RELOCATED.

OUR LOYALTY WAS IN QUESTION.

THE FACT THAT WE WERE JAPANESE MADE THE CAUCASIANS SURE THAT WE WERE ANTI-AMERICAN, THAT WE WOULD DO ANYTHING TO HURT AMERICA'S CAUSE.

LIKE MOST DETAINEES, MAS SAYS HE WAS SENT FIRST TO AN ASSEMBLY CENTER.

THESE WERE OFTEN CONVERTED HORSE STALLS AT RACETRACKS AND FAIRGROUNDS.

THEY WERE HOLDING US CAPTIVE UNTIL THE REAL CAMPS COULD BE BUILT.

GILA RIVER, HE SAYS, WAS AN IMPROVEMENT.

REAL NICE-LOOKING BUILDINGS, DOUBLE ROOFS TO TAKE CARE OF THE HEAT.

THERE WAS A SCHOOL, SCOUTS, EVEN A CAMP NEWSPAPER.

BUT NO ONE COULD LEAVE.

HOW LONG WERE YOU AT THE CAMP?

NOT TOO LONG.

ALMOST AT THE SAME TIME, THE UNITED STATES ARMY HAS DISCOVERED THAT THEY NEEDED TO FIND PEOPLE WHO COULD READ, WRITE, AND SPEAK JAPANESE.

MAS LEFT CAMP IN 1942 AFTER VOLUNTEERING FOR THE ARMY.

EVEN THOUGH I KNEW MY FATHER WOULD OPPOSE IT.

HE WAS A CITIZEN OF JAPAN, AND HE ALWAYS TOLD ME, "DO NOT FIGHT JAPAN."

BUT I FELT THAT, HEY, I'M AN AMERICAN.

MAS' PATRIOTISM CAME AT A HIGH COST.

HE SAYS HIS FATHER NEVER SPOKE TO HIM AGAIN.

SO THIS IS THE CANE THAT I'M INVESTIGATING.

ARIZONA... [ speaks in Japanese ] AND UNDERNEATH THAT...OH, THAT'S A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT.

I SHOW MAS THE INSCRIPTION AND THE ARTIST'S NAME, TOGAKU SUGIYAMA.

HE DOESN'T RECOGNIZE THE CARVER, BUT HE SAYS CANES WERE A PART OF LIFE AT GILA RIVER.

THEY WERE CARVED BY OLDER MEN, FIRST-GENERATION ISSEI.

AND A SURPRISING NUMBER OF IMMIGRANT JAPANESE TURNED TO SMALL ARTWORK IN ORDER TO PASS THE TIME.

BUT MAS THINKS TOGAKU SUGIYAMA'S POIGNANT WORDS, "I LIVE MY LIFE FOR CARVING," SUGGEST HE MIGHT HAVE MADE OTHER ART.

LOOK, YOU HAVE BEEN A TREMENDOUS HELP.

I'M GLAD I COULD BE OF SOME HELP.

WHO WAS THE CARVER WHO QUIETLY MOURNED THAT NEW YEAR'S OF 1943 AT THE GILA CAMP?

DELPHINE HIRASUNA IS THE AUTHOR OF THE ART OF GAMAN, ABOUT RELOCATION CAMP ART.

HELLO.

HI, NICE TO MEET YOU.

DELPHINE SHOWS ME OTHER EXAMPLES OF RELOCATION CAMP CANES.

DELPHINE SAYS THE STOIC LONGING OF OUR CARVING EMBODIES THE JAPANESE CONCEPT OF GAMAN.

GAMAN IS TO BEAR THE SEEMINGLY UNBEARABLE WITH PATIENCE AND DIGNITY: "GRIN AND BEAR IT."

THEY HAD LOST EVERYTHING.

HOW DO YOU RETAIN YOUR SENSE OF SELF?

AND PART OF IT IS CREATING SOMETHING THAT IS SORT OF UNIQUELY YOUR OWN.

YOU KNOW, THERE'S NO FURNITURE?

OKAY, WE'LL MAKE A CHAIR.

THE SOIL IS SANDY AND GRITTY AND IT'S HARD TO WALK?

WE'LL MAKE CANES.

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF AN ARTIST NAMED TOGAKU SUGIYAMA?

SUGIYAMA IS A VERY COMMON NAME.

IT'S LIKE SAYING HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF SMITH BEFORE?

BUT THE DATE, 1943, CAPTURES HER ATTENTION.

SHE SAYS THAT YEAR HAD BEEN ESPECIALLY CONFLICTED FOR THE INMATES AT THE CAMPS.

IN EARLY 1943, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT HAD DISTRIBUTED A QUESTIONNAIRE.

MOST OF THE QUESTIONS WERE PRETTY ROUTINE, BUT TWO OF THEM WERE PARTICULARLY TROUBLING TO THE PEOPLE IN THE CAMP.

ONE OF THE QUESTIONS ASKED, ARE YOU WILLING TO SERVE IN THE ARMED FORCES AND FIGHT OVERSEAS?

AND THE OTHER QUESTION?

IT ASKED IF YOU WERE WILLING TO FORSWEAR ANY LOYALTY TO THE EMPEROR OF JAPAN.

THE PEOPLE WHO WERE IMMIGRANTS TO THIS COUNTRY, BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT ALLOWED TO BECOME U.S. CITIZENS, THEY FOUND THAT QUESTION VERY TROUBLING.

IF WE SIGN YES TO THIS, THEN BASICALLY WE BECOME PEOPLE WITHOUT A COUNTRY.

FOR MANY AMERICAN-BORN NISEI, THE QUESTIONNAIRE WAS ALSO TROUBLING.

THEY FELT IT WAS A TRICK QUESTION, TOO, SAYING, "WAIT A SECOND, WE'RE U.S. CITIZENS.

WE NEVER SWORE ALLEGIANCE TO THE EMPEROR OF JAPAN."

AND THE PEOPLE WHO SIGNED NO TO THOSE TWO QUESTIONS WERE CALLED NO-NOs.

THE VAST MAJORITY SIGNED THE DOCUMENTS, BUT SEVERAL THOUSAND REFUSED, MANY TO PROTEST HOW THEY HAD BEEN TREATED.

SO WHAT HAPPENED TO THE NO-NOs?

DELPHINE SAYS NO-NOs WERE SENT TO DIFFERENT CAMPS, SOME RUN BY THE RELOCATION AUTHORITY, OTHERS BY THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.

THIS DIVIDED WHOLE FAMILIES.

THIS DIVIDED GENERATIONS.

I'M REMINDED OF SCOTT'S GRANDFATHER AND HOW HE WAS SEPARATED FROM HIS FAMILY AT GILA RIVER CAMP.

DO YOU THINK HE COULD'VE BEEN PART OF THOSE WHO WERE SOMEHOW AFFILIATED WITH THIS MOVEMENT?

IT'S POSSIBLE.

DELPHINE THINKS THE GILA RIVER CAMP ITSELF MIGHT HOLD THE ANSWER TO OUR CANE.

IT'S A BIT OF A LONG SHOT, BUT WAS SCOTT'S FAMILY INCARCERATED NEARBY ANYONE NAMED SUGIYAMA?

JANE NAKASAKO IS A MANAGER AT THE JAPANESE AMERICAN NATIONAL MUSEUM IN LOS ANGELES.

[ film reel whirring ] THIS IS THE FINAL ACCOUNTABILITY ROSTER.

THE CENTER HOLDS OFFICIAL RECORDS ABOUT ETHNIC JAPANESE EVACUATED INTO RELOCATION CAMPS DURING WORLD WAR II.

CAN WE LOOK AT THE HIROTSUS?

YES, WE CAN.

IS THIS THEM HERE?

OH, KIKUNOSHIN.

- YES, AND ICHI.

- ICHI.

YEAH.

SHE FINDS 17 SUGIYAMAS IN GILA RIVER.

THESE ARE ALL THE SUGIYAMAS THAT WERE AT GILA RIVER.

MM-HMM.

JANE SUGGESTS LOOKING FOR OLDER SUGIYAMAS WHO WOULD'VE USED THE OLD-FASHIONED CALLIGRAPHY.

I THINK IF YOU LOOK AT THE BIRTHDATES, YOU CAN SEE, BASED ON THE YEAR THAT THEY WERE BORN, IF THEY WERE FIRST-GENERATION.

AND WHAT YEAR WERE THEY BORN IN?

NORMALLY LATE 1880s, 1890s.

WE FIND FOUR SUGIYAMAS OF THE RIGHT AGE.

WE CAN LOOK AT EACH BLOCK NUMBER AND SEE WHERE THEY WERE ALL LIVING AND SEE THEIR PROXIMITY TO EACH OTHER.

GILA WAS DIVIDED INTO DIFFERENT CAMPS, BUTTE AND CANAL.

THEY WERE THREE MILES AWAY FROM EACH OTHER.

SO THESE ARE THE TWO CAMPS, AND... WE HAVE THREE CANDIDATES OVER HERE IN BUTTE: OKAY, KEISABURO SUGIYAMA, THE SHIGEMI SUGIYAMA FAMILY, AND THE TORAKICHI SUGIYAMA FAMILY.

ALL RIGHT, HOW ABOUT THE HIROTSU FAMILY?

WHERE DID THEY LIVE?

WE HAVE THE HIROTSUS LIVING HERE IN BLOCK SEVEN, AND THEN THE KEISABURO SUGIYAMA FAMILY LIVES IN BLOCK 25.

- RIGHT BEHIND THEM.

- MM-HMM.

KEISABURO SUGIYAMA COULD BE OUR ARTIST, BUT JANE HAS NO WAY TO CONFIRM.

KEISABURO AND HIS WIFE, TOMEI, ARE NOT LISTED AS HAVING CHILDREN.

THIS MAY BE A DEAD END.

BUT JANE THINKS SHE MAY BE ABLE TO HELP US FIGURE OUT OUR OTHER MYSTERY: WHY AND WHEN SCOTT'S GRANDFATHER HAD BEEN RELOCATED TO A DIFFERENT CAMP.

SO THIS IS A FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT FILE, AND WE'RE GOING TO DO A SEARCH ON KIKUNOSHIN HIROTSU AND SEE WHAT COMES UP.

IT SAYS RIGHT HERE THAT THIS GROUP OF MEN WERE APPREHENDED.

SCOTT REALLY NEEDS TO SEE WHAT JANE FINDS NEXT.

THIS CANE WAS MADE BY A GUY NAMED TOGAKU SUGIYAMA.

OOH, OKAY, GREAT.

AND TOGAKU HERE IS HIS ARTISTIC NAME, SO YOU WOULDN'T FIND THAT IN ANY GOVERNMENT RECORDS.

I SHOW SCOTT THE INSCRIPTION ON THE CANE AND EXPLAIN THE MEANING, THE ARTIST'S LONELINESS AT THE NEW YEAR, FORCED TO BE IN THE CAMP.

IT'S...

BRINGS IN A LOT OF EMOTION.

YEAH.

THAT'S NOT WHERE THE STORY STOPS.

I EXPLAIN HOW THE DATE ON THE CANE HELPED POINT ME TO THE UNKNOWN STORY BEHIND HIS GRANDFATHER'S SEPARATION FROM HIS FAMILY.

THIS GROUP OF MEN WERE APPREHENDED BY BUREAU AGENTS FOR INTERFERING WITH THE ENLISTMENT IN THE MILITARY IN GILA RIVER AND TRYING TO ADVISE MEN AGAINST SIGNING THE LOYALTY PLEDGE.

SO IS IT SAFE TO ASSUME THAT SCOTT'S GRANDFATHER WAS A PART OF THE NO-NO MOVEMENT?

YEAH, ACCORDING TO THIS DOCUMENT, HE WAS DEFINITELY OPPOSED TO BOTH.

HE WAS PRETTY BRAVE.

I EXPLAIN HOW WE MAY NEVER KNOW EXACTLY WHY HIS GRANDFATHER REFUSED TO SIGN A LOYALTY OATH, BUT IT HAD BEEN AN ACT OF CONSCIENCE THAT HAD SEPARATED HIM FROM HIS FAMILY.

IT MAKES ME FEEL GOOD.

IT GIVES ME A LOT OF PRIDE.

THE DOCUMENT REVEALED SOMETHING ELSE.

SCOTT HAD ALWAYS THOUGHT THE CANE WAS HIS GRANDFATHER'S, BUT IT'S DATED DECEMBER 1943, 10 MONTHS AFTER KIKUNOSHIN HIROTSU WAS ARRESTED AND REMOVED FROM THE CAMP.

SO IT WAS YOUR GRANDMOTHER'S CANE.

THE CANE HAD WAITED HALF A CENTURY TO REVEAL THIS INFORMATION.

SITS IN THE CORNER KIND OF HIDING SECRETS.

[ laughs ] YES.

IN PLAIN VIEW FOR THOSE WHO CAN SEE.

YES, YEAH, EXACTLY.

SINCE THE END OF FILMING, THE HISTORY DETECTIVES HAVE TRIED TO TRACK DOWN RELATIVES OF THE SUGIYAMAS RELOCATED TO GILA RIVER.

WHILE WE HAVE YET TO IDENTIFY THE ARTIST, WE DID FIND A TANTALIZING CLUE IN THE GILA RIVER CAMP NEWSPAPER FROM 1942.

THE THIRD PRIZE IN AN ART CONTEST WAS AWARDED TO T. SUGIYAMA FOR WOOD CARVING.

IF YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE CARVER OF SCOTT HIROTSU'S CANE, PLEASE CONTACT US ON THE WEB AT pbs.org.

HISTORY DETECTIVES FANS SEND IN AN AVERAGE OF 7,000 STORY SUBMISSIONS EACH SEASON.

WE'VE RECEIVED DOZENS OF COPIES OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE AND EVERY CONCEIVABLE VARIETY OF LINCOLN RELIC, BUT THE MOST COMMON ARTIFACTS WE ENCOUNTER COME FROM THE PACIFIC THEATER OF WORLD WAR II.

DURING SEASON EIGHT, EDUARDO INVESTIGATED A MAP THAT LINDA DINKEL'S FATHER FOUND DURING THE BATTLE OF IWO JIMA.

IT TURNED OUT TO BE MUCH MORE THAN A SOUVENIR.

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF AMERICAN SERVICEMEN CAME HOME WITH JAPANESE WAR MEMENTOS.

MANY WERE TAKEN FROM DEAD ENEMY COMBATANTS, A PRACTICE KNOWN AS FIELD STRIPPING.

GUNS AND SWORDS WERE POPULAR TROPHIES.

SO, TOO, WERE FLAGS.

JAPANESE SOLDIERS OFTEN WORE A NATIONAL FLAG UNDER THEIR HELMETS AND UNIFORMS FOR GOOD LUCK.

THE FLAGS WERE INSCRIBED WITH THE SOLDIER'S NAME AND HOME TOWN AND MESSAGES FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

EACH YEAR, NEARLY 200 WORLD WAR II VETERANS ATTEMPT TO REPATRIATE THEIR ARTIFACTS WITH THE DESCENDANTS OF THE ORIGINAL JAPANESE OWNERS.

SOME SUCCEED BY CONTACTING THE JAPANESE WELFARE MINISTRY, WHICH EMPLOYS STAFF TO RESEARCH WARTIME RECORDS AND LOCATE SURVIVING KIN.

OTHERS FIND A PERMANENT HOME FOR THEIR ARTIFACTS IN TOKYO'S YASUKUNI SHRINE TO THE WAR DEAD.

VISIT HISTORY DETECTIVES ON pbs.org TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ARTIFACTS WE'VE INVESTIGATED.

AND WHILE YOU'RE THERE, SUBMIT YOUR OWN STORY.

Elyse: OUR NEXT CASE ASKS WHO WAS THE OWNER OF THIS SPYGLASS AND WHAT CAN IT REVEAL ABOUT AMERICA'S NAVAL PAST?

OCTOBER 13, 1775: SEVEN MONTHS AFTER THE OUTBREAK OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, THE SECOND CONTINENTAL CONGRESS ESTABLISHES A NAVY TO PURSUE THE FIGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE.

OUTNUMBERED BY THE VAST BRITISH FLEET, THE COLONY'S 13 FRIGATES WILL HAVE TO RELY ON TACTICS, TECHNOLOGY, AND TOOLS.

BUT DID THE REAL TEST OF COLONIAL AMERICA'S NAUTICAL STRENGTH ACTUALLY OCCUR 30 YEARS EARLIER?

NOW KITTERY POINT, MAINE, NATIVE GREG RIVERS THINKS HE HAS AN INSTRUMENT THAT MAY HAVE PLAYED A ROLE IN ONE OF AMERICA'S EARLIEST MILITARY CONFLICTS.

I'VE ALWAYS WONDERED WHAT'S BEEN SEEN THROUGH THIS TELESCOPE.

I'M HEADING TO KITTERY POINT, MAINE, TO MEET GREG.

Greg: HERE'S THE TELESCOPE.

OKAY, WHERE'D YOU GET IT?

I GOT IT FROM MY GREAT AUNT.

I PURCHASED HER HOUSE BACK IN 1973, AND AS PART OF PURCHASING THE HOUSE, THEY WERE SELLING ALL OF HER WORLDLY GOODS, SO I GOT TO GO AROUND THE HOUSE AND SEE WHAT WAS THERE, AND I FOUND THIS TELESCOPE.

GREG SAYS HIS AUNT HAD NO INFORMATION ABOUT THE TELESCOPE, BUT HIS FAMILY'S BEEN IN KITTERY POINT FOR OVER 350 YEARS, AND MANY OF HIS ANCESTORS WERE SAILORS.

WHO DO YOU THINK THE ORIGINAL OWNER IS?

WELL, I'M SORT OF HOPING THAT THE ORIGINAL OWNER IS WILLIAM BRAY.

WHO'S WILLIAM BRAY?

MY GREAT-GREAT-GREAT-GREAT- GRANDFATHER WHO WAS THE BOATSWAIN ON THE U.S.S.

RALEIGH, WHICH WAS THE FIRST FRIGATE TO BE BUILT BY THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS DURING THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.

BUT GREG SAYS THE OWNER COULD'VE BEEN OTHER NAVY MEN ON HIS FAMILY TREE, INCLUDING A REVOLUTIONARY WAR SEAMAN NAMED ANDREW PHILLIPS AND AN EVEN EARLIER ANCESTOR, SIR WILLIAM PEPPERRELL.

WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU WANT ME TO FIND OUT?

IF IN FACT IT WAS USED DURING THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR AND WHO IN FACT USED IT.

I WANT TO GIVE THE TELESCOPE A TEST RUN, SO GREG'S POINTED ME TO A FAVORITE SPOT.

YOU HAVE TO FEEL THIS THING TO BELIEVE IT.

IT'S UNBELIEVABLY LIGHT; IT FEELS LIKE A WIFFLE BALL BAT.

I'M USED TO SEEING TELESCOPES THAT ARE HEAVY, THERE'S A LOT OF BRASS ON THEM, THEY'RE VERY COMPLICATED.

THIS IS JUST A SIMPLE PIECE OF WOOD.

THERE'S A BRASS PIECE AT EACH END HOLDING A LENS.

AND ON THIS END, THERE'S SOME TYPE OF GRIP.

THE GLASS IS PRETTY CLEAR, BUT IT'S HARD TO KEEP STEADY.

I DON'T KNOW, REVOLUTIONARY WAR?

THAT WOULD MAKE THIS OVER 230 YEARS OLD, AND I WOULD EXPECT IT TO BE IN WORSE SHAPE.

I'M NARROWING MY SEARCH DOWN TO KITTERY POINT, MAINE, 1775, THE BEGINNING OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR.

TOP HIT, HERE'S WILLIAM BRAY.

ENLISTED AS A BOATSWAIN AT FIFTEEN DOLLARS PER MONTH ONBOARD THE CONTINENTAL FRIGATE RALEIGH AT KITTERY.

AND PROBABLY REMAINS ON HER UNTIL HER CAPTURE ON SEPTEMBER 28, 1778.

LET'S SEE WHAT HAPPENED.

AFTER A CENTURY OF INCREASINGLY OPPRESSIVE BRITISH COLONIAL RULE, THE STIRRINGS OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE EXPLODED INTO FULL REVOLT IN 1775.

THAT YEAR, THE SECOND CONTINENTAL CONGRESS CREATED THE CONTINENTAL NAVY, AND WITHIN A YEAR, LAUNCHED 13 FRIGATES.

THIS IS THE BIRTH OF THE AMERICAN NAVY, AND GREG'S ANCESTOR WAS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF IT.

IN 1778, THE FRIGATE RALEIGH WAS EN ROUTE FROM BOSTON TO VIRGINIA WHEN SHE ENGAGED WITH TWO BRITISH WARSHIPS.

A RUNNING BATTLE ENSUED.

OUTGUNNED, THE CAPTAIN GROUNDED THE SHIP AND ORDERED IT BURNED, BUT THE CREW WAS TOO LATE.

THE BRITISH CAPTURED RALEIGH FOR THE ROYAL NAVY.

BRAY MUST'VE SEEN SOME PRETTY DRAMATIC SIGHTS IF HE USED THIS SPYGLASS ON THE RALEIGH.

BUT I STILL HAVE TWO OTHER NAMES TO RUN DOWN.

HERE'S ANDREW PHILLIPS.

HE'S LISTED AS A REVOLUTIONARY WAR SOLDIER, BUT THE NAME IS SO COMMON.

PEPPERRELL WAS THE OTHER NAME HE GAVE ME.

LET'S SEE WHAT I GET.

[ ♪♪♪ ] OKAY, HERE WE GO: HE WAS ONE OF THE WEALTHIEST COLONISTS AND COMMANDED A MILITARY EXPEDITION TO NOVA SCOTIA IN 1745.

HERE'S HIS PORTRAIT.

HE'S HOLDING SOMETHING; IT COULD BE A SCROLL, BUT IT MIGHT BE A TELESCOPE.

IF IT IS OUR TELESCOPE, IT'S MISSING THE BRASS ENDS.

BUT PEPPERRELL DIED IN 1759.

THAT'S 16 YEARS BEFORE THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR BEGAN.

WILLIAM BRAY MIGHT BE OUR MAN.

I THINK I NEED TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT TYPE OF TELESCOPE WE HAVE HERE.

I'M HEADING TO THE MAINE MARITIME MUSEUM TO MEET DR. MARVIN BOLT.

AN EXPERT IN ANTIQUE OPTICS, HE'S ASTONISHED AT WHAT'S BEEN SITTING IN GREG'S HOUSE.

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC.

I'VE BEEN LOOKING AT TELESCOPES FOR ABOUT 15 YEARS; THERE'S ONLY ONE OTHER ONE I KNOW THAT'S LIKE THIS.

MARVIN SAYS OUR TELESCOPE IS CALLED A THREE-FOOT GLASS.

THE WOOD TELLS ME THAT IT'S A NAVAL TELESCOPE: ANYTHING THAT'S MADE OUT OF METAL WOULD RUST, AND THAT WOULDN'T LAST ONBOARD SHIPS.

AND HOW DOES IT WORK?

SO AT THE VERY END HERE, WE HAVE SAILOR'S BRAIDWORK THAT WOULD BE USED AS A GRIP TO HOLD THIS ONBOARD SHIPS.

YOU WOULD HOLD IT, AND THEN I -- BEING THE CAPTAIN AND THE BOSS -- WOULD HOLD THE OTHER END OF THE TELESCOPE AND LOOK FOR WHATEVER IT IS I'M LOOKING FOR.

HOW DO YOU DATE A PIECE LIKE THIS?

WELL, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT A FEW OTHER EXAMPLES FROM A LITTLE BIT LATER, AND WE'LL SEE HOW THEY'RE THE SAME AND DIFFERENT.

BOTH OF THE MUSEUM'S TELESCOPES DATE TO THE LATE 18th CENTURY.

MARVIN SAYS OURS USES MUCH OLDER TECHNOLOGY.

THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WITH A TELESCOPE LIKE THIS IS THAT IT'S NOT VERY PORTABLE.

SO EVENTUALLY, INSTEAD OF HAVING ONE LONG TUBE THAT IS FIXED IN LENGTH, YOU HAVE A TELESCOPE THAT ACTUALLY COLLAPSES.

THE OTHER DIFFERENCE IS THAT THE LENS HERE IS ONLY ONE PIECE OF GLASS, WHEREAS THESE ARE TWO PIECES OF GLASS.

AND HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?

IN OUR TELESCOPE, BECAUSE IT ONLY HAS ONE PIECE OF GLASS, WE'LL SHINE A LASER LIGHT ON HERE, YOU'LL ONLY SEE THE ONE DOT.

THESE TWO HAVE A LENS THAT'S MADE OUT OF TWO PIECES OF GLASS, AND I'LL JUST SHINE MY LASER POINTER HERE...

SO YOU SEE A BUNCH OF DOTS THERE.

INTERESTING.

THE TECHNOLOGY OF HAVING TWO PIECES OF GLASS TO MAKE ONE LENS COMES AROUND 1750.

BY THE TIME OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, HE SAYS, OUR TELESCOPE WAS A TECHNOLOGICAL DINOSAUR.

IT'S LIKE USING A CELL PHONE FROM THE 1980s: YOU COULD STILL USE IT, BUT WHY WOULD YOU USE IT IF YOU HAVE A LITTLE FLIP PHONE THAT YOU CAN PUT IN YOUR POCKET?

HOW OLD DO YOU THINK IT IS?

BASED ON ALL THE EVIDENCE, I'M PRETTY CONFIDENT THAT THIS TELESCOPE DATES FROM BETWEEN 1740 AND 1760.

MARVIN SAYS GREG'S TELESCOPE IS AN EXTRAORDINARY DISCOVERY.

THIS IS ONE OF THE OLDEST NAVAL TELESCOPES IN THE COUNTRY AND IN FACT IN THE WORLD.

SO WHO IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE OWNED THIS TELESCOPE?

WELL, THE OWNER THINKS THAT IT WAS AN ANCESTOR WHO FOUGHT IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, AND HE WAS A BOATSWAIN.

MARVIN SAYS BOATSWAINS, LIKE WILLIAM BRAY, RANKED LOW ON THE NAVAL HIERARCHY AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY, PAY SCALE.

A BOATSWAIN PROBABLY WOULDN'T HAVE ANY USE FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS.

THIS TELESCOPE WOULD'VE COST ABOUT 3 POUNDS.

TO PUT THAT IN PERSPECTIVE, THAT'S ABOUT A THIRD OF A SALARY OF A SOLDIER OR A LABORER.

EVENTUALLY, THE PRICE COMES DOWN.

BUT MARVIN SAYS DURING THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR PERIOD, OUR TELESCOPE WAS STILL PRICY AND NOT LIKELY TO HAVE BEEN USED BY A BOATSWAIN.

THAT RULES OUT BOTH BRAY AND THE SECOND POSSIBLE FAMILY OWNER, ANDREW PHILLIPS.

YOU KNOW, THE OWNER OF THIS TELESCOPE HAS ANOTHER ANCESTOR, WILLIAM PEPPERRELL, WHO WAS A VERY WEALTHY COLONIST, AND HE FOUGHT IN NOVA SCOTIA IN THE 1740s.

HE SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT SUSPECT.

DID THIS SPYGLASS SEE ACTION IN THE YEARS BEFORE THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR?

COLONIAL HISTORIAN STEVE EAMES MEETS ME AT MAINE'S FORT McCLARY, A DEFENSE WORKS BUILT BY SIR WILLIAM PEPPERRELL.

STEVE SAYS THAT IF GREG'S TELESCOPE DATES BETWEEN 1740 AND 1760, IT COULD'VE PLAYED A PART IN ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT MILITARY ENGAGEMENTS OF THE PRE-REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD.

WELL, IF IT'S THAT OLD AND IT BELONGED TO WILLIAM PEPPERRELL, IT WAS PROBABLY AT THE SIEGE OF LOUISBOURG IN 1745.

HE EXPLAINS HOW, DECADES BEFORE THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, THE STRUGGLE FOR POWER IN EUROPE BETWEEN THE FRENCH AND THE ENGLISH HAD SPILLED OVER TO THE COLONIAL TERRITORIES.

IN 1744, THE ENGLISH CROWN HAD ITS EYES ON FRENCH CANADA AND THE RICH FISHING WATERS OF THE OUTER BANKS.

BOTH WERE PROTECTED BY THE FORTRESS AT LOUISBOURG ON CAPE BRETON.

IN 1745, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT LOUISBOURG WAS ACTUALLY VULNERABLE TO ATTACK, AND WILLIAM PEPPERRELL WAS NAMED AS COMMANDER OF THAT EXPEDITION.

STEVE EXPLAINS HOW THE FRENCH AND THE ENGLISH EACH TURNED TO THEIR COLONIAL SUBJECTS FOR MILITARY SUPPORT.

OVER 4,000 NEW ENGLANDERS FROM FOUR COLONIES SIGNED ON WITH PEPPERRELL UNDER THE BANNER OF KING GEORGE.

SO THEY WERE FISHERMEN AND FARMERS AND LABORERS AND SO FORTH.

THEY WERE NOT TRAINED AS SOLDIERS.

ON MARCH 24th, THE COLONISTS' MAKESHIFT FLEET OF MERCHANT VESSELS SET SAIL FOR THE DANGEROUS ASSAULT ON THE FRENCH SUPER FORTRESS.

THE ISLAND BATTERY, GRAND BATTERY WERE PERFECTLY POSITIONED TO BASICALLY PULVERIZE THESE SHIPS IF THEY TRIED TO GET INTO THE HARBOR.

PEPPERRELL WOULD ATTACK FROM LAND.

AFTER HAULING THEIR CANNON WITHIN RANGE, THE AMATEUR SOLDIERS BEGAN POUNDING THE FORTRESS WALLS.

[ booming ] HOW WOULD THE TELESCOPE COME INTO PLAY?

A SIEGE INVOLVED BREAKING DOWN THE MORALE OF THE DEFENDERS THROUGH ARTILLERY FIRE, AND HE WOULD HAVE TO OBSERVE LOUISBOURG THROUGH A TELESCOPE LIKE THAT EVERY DAY TO SEE THE DAMAGE THAT HIS CANNONS WERE DOING TO THE FORTRESS.

AFTER A PROLONGED SIEGE, THE FINAL ASSAULT WAS PREPARED.

THE NAVAL SQUADRON WAS GOING TO SAIL IN AND THE COLONISTS WERE GOING TO ATTACK THE FORTRESS, BUT AT THAT MOMENT, THE FRENCH DECIDED TO SURRENDER.

SO IT WAS A VICTORY FOR THE COLONISTS.

THIS WAS A TREMENDOUS COLONIAL VICTORY.

THE NEW ENGLANDERS HAD WON THE FORT FOR THE ENGLISH CROWN, BUT THEY HAD DONE IT WITH NATIVE CUNNING AND BRAVERY.

IT WAS A VICTORY THAT WOULD ONE DAY HAUNT THE ENGLISH.

IN THEIR PERCEPTION, THEY HAD CAPTURED A EUROPEAN-STYLE FORTRESS DEFENDED BY EUROPEAN PROFESSIONAL SOLDIERS, AND AS THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION APPROACHED, THEY ALL REMEMBERED THIS.

"OH, WE DID IT ONCE BEFORE; WE CAN DO IT AGAIN."

IT GAVE THEM THE CONFIDENCE THAT THEY COULD TAKE ON ANOTHER EUROPEAN ARMY.

SO THERE'S A CHANCE THAT THIS TELESCOPE COULD'VE PLAYED A ROLE IN THAT BATTLE?

ABSOLUTELY.

IT WOULD BE IN EVERYDAY USE.

ANY IDEA HOW I CAN CONNECT THIS TELESCOPE TO PEPPERRELL?

WELL, THE PEPPERRELL PAPERS ARE PRESERVED.

THE PROBLEM IS A WEALTHY MAN LIKE WILLIAM PEPPERRELL, TO HIM, THIS WAS A RATHER MUNDANE, EVERYDAY OBJECT, AND HE MAY NOT HAVE MENTIONED IT IN HIS CORRESPONDENCE.

I'M HEADING TO THE PORTSMOUTH ATHENAEUM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, WHERE MANY OF PEPPERRELL'S PAPERS ARE ARCHIVED.

TOM HARDIMAN, KEEPER OF THE ARCHIVES, HAS AGREED TO HELP ME LOOK THROUGH THEM.

- HERE'S SIR WILLIAM PEPPERRELL.

- LIFE-SIZE.

SO DO YOU THINK HE'S HOLDING A TELESCOPE IN THAT PORTRAIT?

WELL, THE JURY'S OUT ON THAT.

IT LOOKS LIKE MORE LIKE A MAP OR A CHART OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

ALL RIGHT, WELL, LET ME SHOW YOU OUR TELESCOPE.

I'M TRYING TO FIND OUT IF PEPPERRELL USED THIS DURING THE BATTLE OF LOUISBOURG.

IT WOULD BE SO EXCITING, BECAUSE THERE ARE NOT MANY ARTIFACTS FROM THE BATTLE OF LOUISBOURG THAT SURVIVE.

IF THIS DID BELONG TO HIM, DO YOU THINK HE MIGHT'VE MENTIONED IT ANYWHERE?

WELL, WE HAVE A LOT OF SIR WILLIAM'S PERSONAL PAPERS.

MANY OF THE PEPPERRELL FAMILY WILLS, INVENTORIES, AND LETTERS ARE KEPT HERE IN THE ARCHIVE.

HERE'S ONE COLLECTION.

OKAY, I'LL TAKE THOSE.

YOU GO THROUGH THAT STUFF, I'LL GO THROUGH THE MANUSCRIPTS.

FIRST UP IS PEPPERRELL'S 40-PAGE WILL.

I'M FINDING A LOT OF BIG PROPERTY HERE; I'M NOT SEEING ANYTHING SMALL.

TOM'S NOT SURPRISED.

HE TELLS ME THE PEPPERRELLS WERE AMONG THE RICHEST FAMILIES IN AMERICA, WITH AN ESTATE STRETCHING THE FIRST 30 MILES OF MAINE'S COAST.

ALL RIGHT, I'M NOT SEEING ANYTHING HERE.

ARE YOU FINDING ANYTHING?

NO, THIS IS MOSTLY BUSINESS MATERIAL.

HERE'S A COPY OF HIS JOURNAL.

LET'S CHECK THE LOUISBOURG MONTHS.

LISTEN TO THIS: "TUESDAY, JUNE 11th.

"WENT TO GRAND BATTERY AND VIEWED THE CITY AND ISLAND BATTERY WITH GLASS."

WELL, THAT MEANS SPYGLASS; THAT'S CERTAINLY A TELESCOPE.

BUT THERE ARE NO DETAILS TO MATCH OURS.

MOST OF THESE PAPERS DEAL WITH PEPPERRELL'S LIFE AFTER LOUISBOURG.

OKAY, THAT'S IT.

THAT'S ALL THE PEPPERRELL STUFF, AND I'M NOT FINDING ANYTHING.

AND A LOT OF THE ITEMS FROM THE PEPPERRELL FAMILY DESCENDED THROUGH THE SPARHAWKS, AND WE HAVE A PROBATE INVENTORY FOR WHAT WAS LEFT IN THE HOUSE AFTER THE LAST SPARHAWK DIED.

OKAY, WHERE IS THAT LIST?

THAT IS IN THE SPARHAWK FAMILY FILE.

TOM SAYS THE SPARHAWK FAMILY INCLUDED PEPPERRELL'S GRANDSON AND HEIR.

KNIVES, FORKS, LEATHER CHAIRS.

OKAY, WHAT CURRENCY IS ALL OF THIS?

IT MUST BE DOLLARS; THIS IS 1818.

A SILVER SNUFF BOX, $2.50.

A PAIR OF GOLD-SLEEVE BUTTONS, $4.50.

AH, LOOK AT THIS!

GREG'S GOING TO WANT TO HEAR THIS.

FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU, BECAUSE THIS WAS AN AMAZING INVESTIGATION NOT ONLY INTO AMERICAN HISTORY BUT REALLY INTO YOUR FAMILY'S HISTORY.

YOU WANTED TO KNOW IF THIS TELESCOPE WAS USED IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR... AND IT WASN'T.

OH, WELL, I WAS SORT OF HOPING.

I EXPLAIN HOW WILLIAM BRAY LIKELY COULD NOT HAVE AFFORDED SUCH A TELESCOPE, WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN MOSTLY OBSOLETE ANYWAY BY THE TIME OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION.

THAT'S WHEN I STARTED DIGGING INTO YOUR OTHER ANCESTOR, SIR WILLIAM PEPPERRELL.

AH, LOOK AT THIS!

A TELESCOPE, $1.50.

HOW MUCH WAS THAT IN 1818?

THAT WOULD BE ABOUT 2 POUNDS AT THAT POINT.

MARVIN BOLT SAID OUR TELESCOPE WOULD DECREASE IN VALUE AND COST LESS THAN 3 POUNDS BY THE 1800s.

DO YOU THINK THAT THIS TELESCOPE COULD BE WILLIAM PEPPERRELL'S?

IT'S IN THE HOUSE, IT'S FROM THE FAMILY, IT'S A GOOD PAPER TRAIL, IT'S A VERY GOOD MATCH.

THAT'S AWESOME.

WE CAN'T SAY WITH CERTAINTY THAT THIS TELESCOPE SAW ACTION AT LOUISBOURG, BUT I EXPLAIN HOW THAT BATTLE AND THE FIGHTING SPIRIT OF PEPPERRELL'S NEW ENGLANDERS WAS EARLY EVIDENCE OF THE PROWESS OF AMERICANS IN CONFRONTING A EUROPEAN ARMY.

YOU CAN SAY, "I HAVE ANCESTORS THAT FOUGHT NOT ONLY "IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION BUT THE PREDECESSOR, AND I HAVE SOMETHING THAT ACTUALLY REPRESENTS THAT."

I TELL GREG HE OWNS ONE OF THE EARLIEST NAVAL TELESCOPES IN AMERICA.

THAT'S AMAZING, ABSOLUTELY AMAZING.

I WOULD NEVER HAVE THOUGHT THAT.

IT REALLY AMAZES ME THAT MY FAMILY WAS REALLY INVOLVED WITH THE VERY BEGINNING OF AMERICA, THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE UNITED STATES.

DO YOU THINK YOU'LL LOOK AT THE TELESCOPE IN THE SAME WAY?

NOW I'M WONDERING HOW MANY EYES LOOKED THROUGH THIS TELESCOPE AND WHAT THEY SAW ON THE OTHER END.

PERHAPS COMING INTO LOUISBOURG AND SEEING THE FORT AND SEEING THE CANNONS FIRING; JUST YOUR IMAGINATION GOES WILD.

IN 1760, THE BRITISH DESTROYED LOUISBOURG TO PREVENT FURTHER USE.

TWO HUNDRED YEARS LATER, THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT LAUNCHED A $23 MILLION RESTORATION PROJECT.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS, HISTORIANS, ENGINEERS, AND ARCHITECTS SPENT 20 YEARS REBUILDING A QUARTER OF THE CITY STONE BY STONE, GUIDED BY COLONIAL FRENCH DOCUMENTS.

TODAY, LOUISBOURG REMAINS THE LARGEST HISTORICAL RECONSTRUCTION SITE IN NORTH AMERICA.

TO SEE A 1745 NEWSPAPER ACCOUNT OF THE VICTORY AT LOUISBOURG, VISIT HISTORY DETECTIVES ON THE WEB AT pbs.org.

SOON AFTER THE FOUNDING OF THE CONTINENTAL NAVY IN 1775, SCOTTISH-BORN SAILOR JOHN PAUL JONES TOOK THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR TO ENEMY WATERS WITH RAIDS ALONG THE BRITISH COAST.

FOUR YEARS INTO THE WAR, THE MOST DARING ENGAGEMENT CAME ON SEPTEMBER 23, 1779.

OFF THE COAST OF ENGLAND, JONES INTERCEPTED A BRITISH SUPPLY CONVOY LED BY A ROYAL NAVY WARSHIP.

OUTSIZED AND OUTGUNNED, THE ODDS AGAINST JONES GREW WHEN HE LOST TWO OF HIS LARGEST CANNONS EARLY IN THE BATTLE.

THE BRITISH CONTINUED TO HAMMER THE WEAKENED AMERICAN VESSEL, AND JONES' SHIP BEGAN TO SINK.

THE AMERICAN'S POSITION SEEMED HOPELESS.

INITIAL REPORTS DIFFER, BUT FOUR DECADES LATER, HIS FIRST LIEUTENANT CLAIMED THAT JONES SHOUTED AT THE BRITISH, "I HAVE NOT YET BEGUN TO FIGHT!"

AFTER NEARLY FOUR HOURS OF BATTLE, JONES CAPTURED THE ROYAL NAVY WARSHIP, SECURING ONE OF THE CONTINENTAL NAVY'S MOST CELEBRATED VICTORIES.

AFTER THE WAR'S END, JONES SERVED IN RUSSIA AND DIED IN FRANCE IN 1792.

IN 1905, THE YOUNG PRESIDENT TEDDY ROOSEVELT ORDERED JONES' BODY EXHUMED.

JONES' REMAINS RETURNED TO AMERICA, LED BY A SQUADRON OF FOUR CRUISERS.

AMID GREAT CEREMONY AT ANNAPOLIS, ROOSEVELT DECLARED, "EVERY OFFICER IN OUR NAVY SHOULD KNOW BY HEART THE DEEDS OF JOHN PAUL JONES."

Wes: OUR NEXT STORY INVESTIGATES HOW SOME UNUSUAL DRAWINGS MIGHT BE CONNECTED TO THE GREAT FORTUNES MADE DURING THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH.

IN 1848, THE DISCOVERY OF GOLD AT SUTTER'S MILL CHANGED CALIFORNIA FOREVER.

IN ONE YEAR, SOME 90,000 MEN AND WOMEN STAMPEDED WEST, LURED BY CLAIMS OF GIANT GOLD NUGGETS LYING ON TOP OF THE GROUND.

SOME IMMIGRANTS STRUCK IT RICH, BUT MOST FOUND A LIFE OF BACKBREAKING LABOR IN THE ROUGH AND TUMBLE OF FRONTIER EXISTENCE.

I.W.

BAKER'S RARE PHOTOGRAPHS DOCUMENT THE OFTEN GRIM TRUTH OF THE WORLD THESE EARLY MINERS FOUND.

BUT DID BAKER ALSO MAKE SKETCHES OF THE GOLD RUSH AND THE INCREDIBLE RICHES SOME MINERS PULLED FROM THE EARTH?

TOM GALLEGOS FROM ARVADA, COLORADO, THINKS THAT MIGHT BE THE CASE.

I THINK IT MIGHT BE AN ACTUAL BIT OF THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH COME TO LIFE.

I'M WES COWAN, AND I'M INTRIGUED TO SEE IF THIS DRAWING REALLY IS BY BAKER.

HEY, TOM.

HI, WES.

NICE TO SEE YOU.

GREAT TO MEET YOU, COME ON IN.

SO, TOM, WHAT HAVE YOU GOT HERE?

THIS IS A DRAWING THAT I HAPPENED ACROSS AT AN ANTIQUE SHOW BACK IN 1997.

WOW, "THE TRUE GOLDEN ERA, ILLUMINATED EDITION.

PUBLISHED BY I.W.

BAKER AT THE DAGUERREAN SALOON."

I GUESS THESE ARE THE OUTLINES OF GOLD NUGGETS, AND THEN THE ARTIST HAS MADE CARICATURES OF THESE THINGS.

THIS IS A COLT REVOLVER, HERE'S A POKE BAG, OR A GOLD DUST BAG, A TURTLE, AND THIS GREAT FACE.

AND BOY, THESE ARE ENORMOUS NUGGETS.

THIS ONE FROM VALLECITO, 130 OUNCES.

WELL, TO ME IT LOOKED LIKE THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH IN A NUTSHELL.

SO HAVE YOU DONE ANY RESEARCH ON THIS AT ALL?

I WENT ONLINE AND I FOUND REFERENCES TO AN ISAAC BAKER WHO WAS APPARENTLY A WELL-KNOWN DAGUERREOTYPE PHOTOGRAPHER RUNNING AROUND THE GOLD FIELDS.

BUT TOM DIDN'T SEE ANY REFERENCE TO DRAWINGS BY BAKER.

WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT ME TO HELP YOU WITH?

WHAT I'D LIKE YOUR HELP WITH IS JUST TRYING TO FIND OUT, IS THIS BY THE ISAAC BAKER THAT I FOUND REFERENCES TO ONLINE?

AND ALSO, COULD THESE SHAPES REALLY BE THE SIZE OF ACTUAL GOLD NUGGETS?

WELL, THOSE ARE TWO GREAT QUESTIONS.

I'D LIKE TO SPEND A COUPLE MINUTES WITH IT NOW STUDYING IT, IF YOU DON'T MIND, AND THEN I'M GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE IT WITH ME.

THAT'S FINE, JUST PLEASE KEEP THE RAIN OFF IT.

[ mandolin music plays ] I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS.

AND I'VE APPRAISED AND SOLD A LOT OF GOLD RUSH EPHEMERA.

I.W.

BAKER'S PHOTOGRAPHS ARE WELL-KNOWN RECORDS OF THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH.

THEY STAND OUT FOR THEIR DOCUMENTARY FEELING.

THEY'RE ALSO INCREDIBLY RARE.

ONLY 10 ARE KNOWN TO EXIST.

IT CERTAINLY LOOKS TO BE OF THE PERIOD, IN OTHER WORDS, FROM THE 1850s.

THERE'S A BIG CREASE RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE AS IF IT WAS SOMEHOW MAYBE FOLDED FOR WHATEVER REASON.

THE CARICATURES MADE OUT OF THESE NUGGETS, WHAT'S THAT ALL ABOUT?

WHAT IS SO CURIOUS ABOUT THIS, THOUGH, ARE THESE ENORMOUS GOLD NUGGETS.

THERE WAS AN AWFUL LOT OF EXAGGERATION GOING ON AT THAT TIME, AND IN FACT, THAT'S WHAT DROVE THE RUSH TO CALIFORNIA.

BUT BAKER'S PHOTOGRAPHY IS KNOWN FOR ITS LACK OF EXAGGERATION.

YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO MAKE A LOT OF ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT THIS DRAWING.

IF BAKER WAS A PHOTOGRAPHER, WHY DIDN'T HE TAKE PICTURES OF THESE ENORMOUS NUGGETS?

IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.

YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE FIRST PLACES I WANT TO CHECK IS IN THIS GREAT BOOK CALLED PIONEER PHOTOGRAPHERS OF THE FAR WEST, 1840 TO 1865.

OKAY, HERE HE IS, ISAAC WALLACE BAKER.

HE'S LISTED AS A DAGUERREOTYPIST.

"HE REACTED TO THE NEWS OF THE DISCOVERY OF GOLD "BY JOINING A MINING VENTURE, THE BEVERLY JOINT STOCK COMPANY."

LIKE THOUSANDS OF OTHER FORTY-NINERS, BAKER WAS SEDUCED BY NEWSPAPER ACCOUNTS OF INSTANT RICHES.

BUT WHEN THE TREASURE-SEEKERS ARRIVED, THEY FOUND THAT MINING CAMPS WERE DIRTY, DISEASE WAS RAMPANT, AND EVEN IF A MINER FOUND GOLD, IT WAS USUALLY FLAKES OR DUST.

FEW GOT RICH; MOST WERE LUCKY TO BREAK EVEN.

THIS SEEMS TO BE A LESSON BAKER TOOK TO HEART.

IT SAYS HERE THAT HE GAVE UP MINING TO LEARN THE DAGUERREOTYPE PHOTOGRAPHY TRADE FROM A MAN NAMED PEREZ BATCHELDER.

OH, AND TAKE A LOOK AT THIS: HERE'S A PHOTOGRAPH ENTITLED "ISAAC WALLACE BAKER IN THE DOORWAY OF BATCHELDER'S DAGUERREIAN SALOON."

OH, THIS IS GREAT.

HERE'S TWO JOURNALS THAT ARE LISTED IN THE HOLDINGS OF THE BANCROFT LIBRARY IN BERKELEY, AND THEY DESCRIBE HIS TRIP FROM BOSTON TO CALIFORNIA, IMPRESSIONS OF CALIFORNIA, AND LISTEN TO THIS, ILLUSTRATED WITH MANY DRAWINGS THROUGHOUT.

I'VE SET UP AN APPOINTMENT AT THE BANCROFT LIBRARY.

IN THE MEANTIME, LET'S SEE WHAT I CAN DIG UP ABOUT THESE GOLD NUGGETS.

COLUMBIA STATE HISTORIC PARK IS LOCATED IN WHAT WAS THE HEART OF THE MOTHER LODE, A MILE-WIDE NETWORK OF GOLD-BEARING QUARTZ THAT EXTENDED 120 MILES ALONG THE EDGE OF THE SIERRA NEVADAS.

THONNI MORIKAWA IS PARK CURATOR.

YOU MUST BE THONNI.

YES, I AM.

WELCOME TO COLUMBIA, WES.

FROM THIS AREA AROUND COLUMBIA, HOW MUCH MONEY WAS MADE DURING THE GOLD RUSH?

WELL, IN THE COLUMBIA AREA BETWEEN 1850 AND 1860, OVER $80 MILLION WAS PULLED OUT, AND THAT'S IN 1860s MONEY.

THAT WOULD BE MORE THAN $4 BILLION IN TODAY'S DOLLARS TAKEN OUT IN JUST 10 YEARS.

SO I READ THAT WHEN BAKER FIRST CAME OUT HERE, HE TRIED HIS HAND AT PANNING FOR GOLD.

I GUESS HE WOULD HAVE GONE TO A HARDWARE STORE, BOUGHT A PICK AND SHOVEL AND A PAN AND WOULD HAVE HEADED OUT AND SAID, "I'M GOING TO STRIKE IT RICH," RIGHT?

THAT'S WHAT THEY THOUGHT.

THEY THOUGHT WITH THAT SIMPLE PURCHASE THEY'D GO OUT AND BE MILLIONAIRES WHEN THEY WENT HOME.

IF YOU'D LIKE TO HAVE A CHANCE, I CAN TAKE YOU UP THE STREET AND WE'LL DO A LITTLE GOLD PANNING.

LET'S GO TRY IT.

THONNI INTRODUCES ME TO ROBERT YOUNG, A REAL-LIFE MINER.

WHAT YOU WANT TO DO IS, GOLD IS REALLY HEAVY, AND IT'S GOING TO SEPARATE OUT FROM THIS.

IT'S GOING TO GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAN.

AND WHAT YOU NEED TO DO IS GET THIS ALL BROKEN UP, GIVE YOUR GOLD A CHANCE TO START SINKING TOWARDS THE BOTTOM.

ALL RIGHT, I'M GOING TO GET SOME WATER IN HERE.

I QUICKLY DISCOVER IT'S COLD, HARD WORK.

SO, THONNI, THEY DID THIS IN THE WINTER, ALL DAY LONG?

A GUY WOULD DO THIS FROM SUNRISE TO SUNSET, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, STANDING IN WATER LIKE THIS, BACKBREAKING, MOVING THE DIRT.

FOR ALL OF THIS WORK, ALL THEY REALLY MADE WAS ABOUT $6 A DAY, MAYBE $600 A YEAR.

THONNI EXPLAINS THAT BECAUSE OF THE DREAMS OF INSTANT RICHES, EAGER MIGRANTS FLOCKED TO CALIFORNIA THROUGHOUT THE 1850s, BUT BY THEN, ALL OF THE EASY GOLD WAS GONE.

THE SMARTER FOLKS BECAME MERCHANTS.

AND AS WE LIKE TO SAY, THEY ENDED UP MINING THE MINERS.

SHE SAYS THAT BAKER PROBABLY TURNED TO PHOTOGRAPHY AS AN EASIER WAY TO MAKE MONEY.

ALL RIGHT, YOU KNOW WHAT?

I'M TIRED, I'M COLD; I'M READY TO GO INSIDE.

I AGREE.

LET'S GO.

THONNI TAKES ME TO THE COLUMBIA MUSEUM.

WELL, WES, LET ME SHOW YOU THESE.

THEY ARE ON LOAN FROM THE CALIFORNIA STATE MINING AND MINERAL MUSEUM.

THESE ARE CASTS OF ORIGINAL NUGGETS THAT WERE FOUND IN THE GOLD COUNTRY.

THIS ONE IS VERY SPECIAL; IT CAME FROM COLUMBIA.

IT'S 133 OUNCES.

AND IF I NOTICE ON YOUR DRAWING, THAT ONE'S OF 130 OUNCES.

THIS 133-OUNCE NUGGET WOULD HAVE BEEN WORTH ROUGHLY $2,500 IN 1902 WHEN IT WAS UNEARTHED, AND THE LARGEST OF THESE FIVE REPLICAS WOULD HAVE WEIGHED IN AT MORE THAN 200 OUNCES.

WELL, THIS ANSWERS ONE OF MY CONTRIBUTOR'S QUESTIONS.

NUGGETS OF THE SIZE DEPICTED IN TOM'S DRAWING DID EXIST, BUT IS THE DRAWING BY I.W.

BAKER?

MY NEXT STOP IS THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY.

THE BANCROFT LIBRARY HAS SOME OF BAKER'S ORIGINAL JOURNALS.

SUSAN SNYDER IS HEAD OF PUBLIC SERVICES.

SO I UNDERSTAND YOU HAVE SOME JOURNALS BY I.W.

BAKER.

WE DO, BEAUTIFUL ONES.

SO WHAT DO THE JOURNALS TELL US ABOUT BAKER?

HE WAS A REAL CHARACTER.

HE CAME DURING THE GOLD RUSH; HE WAS VERY OBSERVANT.

EVERY PAGE IS FULL OF THIS WONDERFUL VERBAL DESCRIPTION, BUT ALSO THESE JUST CHARMING SKETCHES.

I'VE GOT SOMETHING I WANT TO SHOW TO YOU.

SURE, COME ON OVER HERE.

THIS IS A DRAWING THAT I THINK MAY BE BY BAKER.

AND YOU'LL SEE DOWN THE MIDDLE, THOUGH, THERE'S THIS CREASE THAT SUGGESTS IT MAYBE AT ONE TIME WAS PART OF SOME SORT OF A JOURNAL.

THEY'RE A LITTLE TOO BIG TO HAVE COME FROM OUR JOURNALS, BUT WHY DON'T YOU COME ON IN AND TAKE A LOOK AT THEM.

TERRIFIC, LET'S GO.

YOU KNOW, THESE ARE SO INDESCRIBABLY RARE TO SEE THESE JOURNALS FROM THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH.

THE GOLD MINERS WERE INTERESTED IN MAKING THEIR FORTUNES, NOT DOCUMENTING HISTORY.

SO WHILE THERE ARE MANY NEWS STORIES FROM THE DAY TRUMPETING THE GOLD RUSH, THERE ARE NOT A LOT OF PRIMARY SOURCE ACCOUNTS FROM ACTUAL MINERS.

I JUST CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT'S INSIDE.

THE FIRST PART OF JOURNAL NUMBER ONE APPEARS TO BE COMPLETELY ABOUT HIS SEA VOYAGE TO CALIFORNIA.

BAKER'S TEMPERAMENT AND TALENT IS CLEARLY EVIDENT.

OH, BOY, HERE'S A WONDERFUL SHIPBOARD ILLUSTRATION.

PENCIL DRAWING.

JUST COMPARING IT WITH MY DRAWING.

IT COULD BE.

HAVEN'T SEEN ANY DRAWINGS OF GOLD NUGGETS YET, THOUGH.

OH, AND HERE'S HIS FIRST VIEW OF SAN FRANCISCO.

YOU'LL GET THE SENSE OF WHAT THE GUY'S LIKE.

"SAN FRANCISCO: A BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY, "ROMANTIC SCENERY, EXCELLENT HARBOR, "A FINE CLIMATE, AND PLENTY OF GAME.

THIS IS THE PLACE FOR ME IN THE WINTER SEASON."

AND THEN IN THE NEXT BREATH, "IT IS THE MOST DEGRADED, IMMORAL, UNCIVILIZED, "AND DIRTY PLACE THAT CAN BE IMAGINED, AND THE SOONER WE ARE AWAY FROM HERE, THE BETTER FOR US."

HE HAS A VOICE, PROJECTED IN HIS WORDS AND SKETCHES, THAT OPENS A WINDOW INTO THIS UNIQUE TIME IN AMERICAN HISTORY.

I GUESS I SORT OF STRUCK OUT HERE.

BOTH OF BAKER'S JOURNALS ARE FILLED WITH DOZENS OF FABULOUS DRAWINGS, BUT THERE ARE NO DRAWINGS OF GOLD NUGGETS.

AND I'M LEFT WONDERING WHETHER TOM'S DRAWING WAS ACTUALLY DONE BY BAKER.

DREW JOHNSON IS CURATOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY AT THE OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA.

THE MUSEUM'S ART COLLECTION DOCUMENTS THE HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA AND THE WEST FROM THE EARLY 1800s ONWARD.

BAKER DAGUERREOTYPES ARE SOME OF THE JEWELS OF THEIR COLLECTION.

WOW.

MOST PHOTOGRAPHERS OF THE DAY ONLY TOOK PICTURES OF THINGS THEY WERE PAID TO TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS OF.

BUT IN THE CASE OF BAKER, HE SEEMS TO HAVE HAD A CLEAR DOCUMENTARY IMPULSE.

SO, FOR INSTANCE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT EVERYBODY COMMENTED ON ABOUT THE GOLD RUSH WAS THE FACT THAT IT WAS MADE OF PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, AND WE HAVE HERE HIS DAGUERREOTYPE OF A CHINESE MAN, WHICH AS FAR AS WE KNOW IS THE FIRST PHOTOGRAPH EVER TAKEN OF A CHINESE IMMIGRANT IN THE WEST.

- REALLY?

- THAT'S RIGHT.

AND LIKE HIS DAGUERREOTYPE PORTRAIT OF THE INDIAN BOY, IT'S DONE WITH A GREAT DEAL OF DIGNITY.

TO HAVE A RECORD OF THAT, AGAIN, EXTREMELY RARE EXAMPLE OF A NATIVE CALIFORNIAN FROM THE 1850s.

YOU KNOW, I'VE GOT TO TELL YOU, MY EYES WERE IMMEDIATELY DRAWN TO THIS GREAT AMBROTYPE OF THE TWO CARD PLAYERS.

WHO ARE THESE GUYS?

THAT IS IKE BAKER HIMSELF; THAT'S A SELF-PORTRAIT OF HIM HOLDING A ROYAL FLUSH AND TROUNCING HIS FRIEND AT CARDS.

SO THAT'S BAKER; THAT'S GREAT.

WHAT'S THIS?

AH, WELL, THIS IS A CLUE TO BAKER'S SECOND LIFE AFTER HE LEFT CALIFORNIA.

PEOPLE WERE INTERESTED IN HEARING ABOUT THE GOLD RUSH, AND LIKE A LOT OF MINERS, THEY DECIDED TO EITHER WRITE ABOUT IT OR LECTURE ABOUT IT, AND IN HIS CASE, HE GAVE LECTURES BACK IN MASSACHUSETTS.

AND THIS IS A SCRAPBOOK WHICH CONTAINS ON THE COVER ONE OF HIS BROADSIDES, AND THEN INSIDE IS HIS HANDWRITTEN TEXT OF THE TALK HE WOULD GIVE.

BESIDES THE TEXT, THERE ARE ALSO ILLUSTRATIONS.

NOT ONLY DID HE RECORD THE TOWNS AND THE BUILDINGS AND THE MINERS AND THE CLAIMS, BUT SOME OF THE THINGS THE MINERS PULLED OUT OF THE GROUND.

WHAT DREW SHOWS ME NEXT IS THE MISSING PIECE OF THE PUZZLE.

WOW, DREW, I'M REALLY KIND OF SPEECHLESS HERE.

TOM, THIS WAS A GREAT JOURNEY FOR ME PERSONALLY BECAUSE I'VE ALWAYS BEEN ATTRACTED TO DAGUERREOTYPES FROM THE GOLD RUSH.

I TELL TOM HOW NUGGETS OF THE SIZE DEPICTED IN HIS DRAWING WERE RARE BUT ACTUALLY DID EXIST.

WOW, THAT'S TERRIFIC, THAT'S TERRIFIC.

SO NEXT, I SHOWED THIS DRAWING TO DREW JOHNSON, THE CURATOR AT THE OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA, AND THIS IS WHAT DREW SHOWED ME NEXT.

OH, MY STARS.

YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE WHAT I'VE GOT TO SHOW YOU.

THEY'RE THE SAME NUGGETS.

EXACTLY THE SAME NUGGETS, AREN'T THEY?

OH, THEY ABSOLUTELY ARE.

YOURS ARE WITHOUT THE CARICATURES, BUT I WOULD VENTURE THAT IF YOU PUT THIS ONE ON TOP OF THAT ONE, THEY WOULD BE IDENTICAL.

I WOULD FIND IT EXTREMELY HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THIS WAS DONE BY ANYBODY BUT ISAAC BAKER.

IT'S ALMOST UNIQUE.

I KNOW OF ONLY ONE OTHER EXAMPLE OF HIS WORK THAT IS NOT IN AN INSTITUTIONAL COLLECTION, EITHER A MUSEUM OR A LIBRARY.

YOU ARE KIDDING ME!

IT'S A DRAFT OF THE SAME EXACT GROUP OF NUGGETS.

WHAT IS THIS?

I EXPLAIN HOW BAKER HAD GIVEN DETAILED LECTURES BACK HOME IN MASSACHUSETTS ABOUT HIS TIME IN THE EXOTIC LAND OF CALIFORNIA.

IN DRAWINGS SUCH AS THIS, HE DOCUMENTED THE TRUTH OF THE GOLD RUSH WITH HIS OWN PERSONAL FLAIR.

SO THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO QUESTION THAT YOUR DRAWING AND THIS DRAWING WERE DONE BY IKE BAKER DURING THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH.

THAT IS FANTASTIC NEWS, WES, AND I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR FINDING THAT OUT.

MANY LIVES WERE RUINED IN THE RUSH TO MAKE FORTUNES FROM CALIFORNIA GOLD.

ONE OF THE MORE EXTREME CASES INVOLVES A MAN WHOSE NAME IS SYNONYMOUS WITH THE ERA.

OF ALL PEOPLE, JOHN SUTTER SHOULD HAVE BEEN IMMORTALIZED AS A GOLD RUSH SUCCESS STORY.

AFTER ALL, THE FIRST BIG STRIKE WAS LOCATED ON HIS PROPERTY.

BUT HISTORY HAD OTHER PLANS.

SUTTER HAD EMIGRATED FROM SWITZERLAND AND EVENTUALLY SETTLED IN SAN FRANCISCO IN 1839.

HE ACQUIRED A TRACT OF LAND IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY WHICH HE DUBBED NEW HELVETIA.

SUTTER BROUGHT A BAND OF SETTLERS WITH HIM AND EVENTUALLY BUILT A FORT AT THE CONFLUENCE OF THE AMERICAN AND SACRAMENTO RIVERS.

HIS FORTUNES GREW.

THEN, ON JANUARY 24, 1848, GOLD WAS DISCOVERED ON HIS PROPERTY.

HE SWORE ALL OF HIS EMPLOYEES TO SECRECY, BUT IT DIDN'T MATTER.

WITHIN A FEW MONTHS, GOLD SEEKERS OVERRAN HIS PROPERTY, WITH SUTTER POWERLESS TO STOP THEM.

THE TRESPASSERS TORE UP HIS LAND AND SLAUGHTERED HIS HERDS.

MEANWHILE, HIS WORKERS ABANDONED THE MILL FOR THE GOLD FIELDS.

BY 1852, SUTTER WAS BANKRUPT.

FOR THE NEXT 29 YEARS, HE PETITIONED THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT.

FINALLY, THE SENATE TOOK UP A BILL TO COMPENSATE HIM FOR HIS LOSS.

AS THEY WERE DEBATING THE BILL, SUTTER DIED IN A NEARBY HOTEL.

LET YOUR MYSTERY UNLOCK AMERICAN HISTORY.

YOU KNOW, AT HISTORY DETECTIVES, WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THAT NEXT GREAT CASE, AND YOU MIGHT HAVE JUST WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.

THE CRITERIA IS SIMPLE.

THE MYSTERY MUST BE CONNECTED TO AN OBJECT.

[ playing quick, random notes ] AND THE OBJECT HAS TO BE TIED TO AMERICAN HISTORY.

TO SUBMIT YOUR CASE, GO TO HISTORY DETECTIVES ON THE WEB AT pbs.org, THEN CLICK "SUBMIT YOUR STORY."