Resourcefulness

Originally Aired: May 27, 1936 Cavalcade of America #34, "Resourcefulness," follows the determined John Judson Ames during the 1849 California Gold Rush as he attempts to transport a printing press through the jungles of Panama. While thousands rush westward seeking gold, Ames has a different dream: to establish one of the first newspapers on the West Coast in San Diego. When fellow travelers Joseph Bristol and Len Carr encounter him fishing his precious press from the muddy Chagras River, they urge him to abandon it and hurry to catch the steamship to San Francisco. Ames refuses, determined to salvage his equipment despite the danger of tropical fever and the enormous difficulties ahead. After successfully retrieving and transporting his press over the mountains to Panama City, Ames faces a new obstacle: the steamship fare has jumped to five hundred dollars, and he only has three hundred. Rather than give up, he enlists Bristol and Carr to help him establish the Panama City Herald right there in the tent city. The newspaper becomes an instant success with gold rush travelers eager for news from home, potentially providing Ames with the funds he needs to continue his journey westward.