A charming description of Santa Catarina was made by an American in the mid-19th century. He and thousands of fellow countrymen passed through Santa Catarina on their way to California in search of gold. And this is the story told in the book “A Caminho do Ouro – norte-americanos em Santa Catarina” by Jeff Franco and Marli Cristina Scomazzon, based on dozens of manuscripts from travelers of that time. An unpublished story in the History of Santa Catarina.
The travelers, without exception, were enchanted by everything: the food (especially the coffee and exotic fruits), the beauty of the landscape, the hospitality of the natives, and there were even those who, smitten by some young lady, ended up giving up the search for gold. The contact with the people of Santa Catarina was idyllic in most cases, but there were also conflicts and even deaths. The local police had a lot of work, including repatriating travelers who gave up the journey. Traveling in small boats for so many kilometers was not easy. The complaints from the sailors were many, and the lack of familiarity with the sea was a major obstacle.
All these North Americans lived on the east coast of the United States, a country that had just annexed California after a brief war with Mexico. Shortly after the war ended, huge gold deposits were discovered in the newly conquered land. However, there were no roads crossing the country, and the path was difficult and dangerous due to fierce Indians, immense mountains, and valleys cut by rushing rivers. 
The Panama Canal did not yet exist, and the route that involved going around South America was the most well-known to all. This path had long been used by whalers and travelers from the US and Europe who traded with the East.
The book also dedicates a chapter to recount how the people of Santa Catarina lived during these years of North American invasion. There were those who made every effort to be good hosts, others saw the episode as a good opportunity for profit, and some were exasperated by the avalanche of noisy men eager for adventures. Uncontrollable smuggling by the authorities, hunting down deserters, and the freeing of slaves were common occurrences of that time.
The role of the American consulate in Desterro concludes the book. There were more than 50 years of activity, some very busy and others calmer. The consuls during the gold rush did their best to make the invasion as smooth as possible, but they did not always succeed. In the official correspondence that has survived to this day, it is also possible to observe the influence that some of them had in the community.
In summary, “A Caminho do Ouro” rescues a period of the history of Santa Catarina that was previously unknown and forgotten by popular memory.