History of The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department - The Gold Rush and The Lawless Cow Counties

The Gold Rush and The Lawless Cow Counties

One of the first consequences of the unprecedented emigration caused by the California Gold Rush from the Eastern U. S., Europe and Asia into this almost unknown and semi-primitive part of the country was to render law and order virtually extinct. Enthusiastic men left their responsibilities at home with their families and came to California expecting to go into the gold fields, pick up a fortune and return home. This air of adventure and uncertainty as to California's status as a territory, made conditions so chaotic that lawlessness was the rule, rather than the exception. Over one hundred thousand men from all quarters of the globe were suddenly thrown together in a new land that was without established government. The U. S. Army, the force of occupation tasked with this responsibility, with its small garrison, was unable fulfill this role and it was made smaller by serious desertions by many soldiers for the gold fields. The existing Californian institutions for law enforcement were overwhelmed also.

Law and order did develop in the gold camps with miners laws and popular assemblies. Severe verdicts were the rule. "Lynch law" was a name most frequently applied to miners' court. "A jury of eight American citizens, unless the accused desire a jury of twelve persons, who shall be regularly summoned by the Sheriff and sworn by the Alcade, and shall try the case according to the evidence." Lashing was a common punishment, and culprits were often branded on the cheek with the letter "R" (renegade). Their hair and eyebrows were frequently shaved. When the "lynch law" prevailed, it often struck terror in the heart of the criminal. There was no hazy, undefined view of his ultimate fate in the distant future, but a vivid picture of the sure and speedy consequence to the crime.

Escaped criminals, fugitives from justice, criminals from poverty-stricken Mexican communities, and ruffians of every sort whom vigilante committees had "encouraged" to move south, where they began to congregate in what became Los Angeles County, which at the time of its formation in 1850, also included the present counties of Kern, Orange, San Bernardino and Ventura, was the natural rendezvous point for a large part of this diversified criminal element. In a modest way Los Angeles boasted of more murders annually, in proportion to its population, than any other community in California or anywhere else in the United States.