Abalone Shell - San Francisco, CA - story c. 1849 (length: 12 cm)

This abalone shell hails from the Pacific Coast of California, where native peoples first harvested the mollusk around six thousand years ago. Though Native Americans used abalone for adornment, sustenance, and spiritualism, European-American and Chinese entrepreneurs came to dominate the fishery following the immigration boom precipitated by the1849 gold rush.