What modes of transportation did they use?
http://www.memory.loc.gov/ammem/cbhtml/cbgold.html Although traveling overland on the California Trail took only about 2 months, thus offering Argonauts a time advantage of several months compared to the sea passages, most US citizens went to California by sea since traveling by land on the California Trail brought the risk of scurvy and Cholera. The sea passage led them either around Cape Horn, or via Chagres at the Isthmus of Panama, continued by an overland passage to Panama City and another ship passage to San Francisco. While the route around Cape Horn took about 8 months, Argonauts who chose to go via Chagres-Panama travelled for only 5 months. In 1850 approximately 11,700 prospective gold diggers used the Cape Horn route, and another 13,800 migrated via Chagres and Panama. Despite the time advantage, the latter route had its flaws, since overland travel across the Isthmus of Panama led them through fever-ridden swamp areas, and even when the migrants arrived safely on Panamas Pa
