Elias D. Pierce

Elias Davidson Pierce (1824—1897) was one of the key figures in the gold rush in 1860 to Idaho.

Pierce was a native of Harrison County, (West) Virginia.[1] In 1844 he purchased land in Indiana and relocated to Hartford City, where he studied law for a time before enlisting as a volunteer during the Mexican War.[2][3] After serving 8 months in Mexico, primarily on guard duty, he returned to Indiana, near death from dysentery, and was discharged in July 1848.[1] In 1849, he went overland to California as part of the gold rush. In 1852 Pierce served in the California House of Representatives.

Pierce, Idaho is named for Pierce.[4]

Notes
  1. 1848 Mexican War discharge paper for Elias D. Pierce. National Archives Bounty Land file #52221.
  2. Deed from Elliott and Elizabeth Nixon to Elias D. Pierce, transcribed in "John Doe on demise of Elias D. Pierce v. Sweetser" Indiana Supreme Court 1850. Indiana State Archives.
  3. Burcham, Ralph, Jr. (1950). Elias Davidson Pierce, Discoverer of Gold in Idaho: A Biographical Study. University of Idaho Graduate School, Moscow, Idaho: Unpublished thesis. p. 8.
  4. Brosnan, C. J. (1918). History of the State of Idaho. New York, Chicago, Boston: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 90.

References


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