David Douglas (1799 – 1834), was only 26 years old in 1825, when he sailed along the west coast of the United States and up the Columbia River. The young botanist from London was on a quest. Since a boy he had been obsessed with plants, and by the age of 21 he was appointed to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Scotland. Now, five years later, he was to examine the plant life of the New World.
David was mesmerized when he saw a beautiful tree which still bears his name: "The Douglas Fir." But what's even more amazing is that one of the major reasons the Gold Rush exploded in California is that David had sent back to their lab in London, a bunch of plant life. Embedded in the roots of the plants, and unnoticed by David, was specs of gold. A cable was quickly sent and David had to move fast, not on collecting gold, but collecting all the botanicals he could from this particular California region near San Francisco, before the ground was torn to pieces.
David was mesmerized when he saw a beautiful tree which still bears his name: "The Douglas Fir." But what's even more amazing is that one of the major reasons the Gold Rush exploded in California is that David had sent back to their lab in London, a bunch of plant life. Embedded in the roots of the plants, and unnoticed by David, was specs of gold. A cable was quickly sent and David had to move fast, not on collecting gold, but collecting all the botanicals he could from this particular California region near San Francisco, before the ground was torn to pieces.
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