It's no secret that the United States has been going through a major economic shift in recent years. From the gig economy to rising healthcare costs, it seems like everything is in a state of flux. But there's one thing that's been the focus of some particularly heated and outraged conversations in the news lately: eggs.
That's right, eggs. Egg prices in the United States are higher than they've ever been before with prices rising as high as 5 or even 7 dollars a dozen in California. But even though this has shoppers up in arms, this isn't the first time in California’s history that eggs have been at the centre of a major economic battle. Back in 1863, it was eggs that played the major role in a one-of-a-kind conflict that came to be known as the Egg War of California.
The story begins with the famous California Gold Rush. When gold nuggets were unearthed at Sutter’s Mill in 1948, it triggered one of America’s largest mass migrations as over 300,000 hopeful gold prospectors from all over the world landed to seek their own fortunes.
This massive boom in population put unprecedented stress on the agriculture sector which wasn’t equipped at the time to feed the thousands of extra mouths in the city. Chicken eggs were in especially high demand for the protein and one egg could set you back a whole dollar (equivalent to around 30 dollars today). People would even advertise in local newspapers, offering exorbitant amounts for an egg. The unexpected solution to this egg calamity was soon found a few miles off the shore.
The Farallon Islands lie around 26 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge, and the archipelago spans roughly 211 acres. But these aren’t the kind of islands with white sands and coral reefs, the Farallon Islands were desolate and wild, with rocky shores and treacherous waters. Though completely inhospitable for humans, it was thriving with wildlife which had adapted to its rough terrain.
Birds in particular flocked to the islands and during mating season it was said to be a 24/7 cacophony of cries. This wealth of life caught the eye of a shrewd Pharmacist called ‘Doc’ Robinson and in 1849 he decided to brave the difficult journey and raid the nests on the Farallon Islands in search of eggs to bring back. Though he lost more than half his loot to the rough return journey, he still made 3,000 dollars from the trip and realised that he’d had hit upon a gold mine of his own.
This kicked off what became known as the ‘Egg Rush’, with hundreds of contingents sailing out to nab some of the eggs for themselves. The Common Murre was the unfortunate bird everyone favoured, with their eggs being most prized. Although as per reports of the time they were unappetising to look at with a clear gelatinous white and red yolk when cooked that could also taste fishy when stale. Despite this, they sold at a dollar a dozen and approximately 14 million Murre eggs were sent to San Fransisco during the egg boom.
But the free for all wasn’t to last long, in 1951 six men claimed the islands and declared themselves owners by right of possession. They established the Pacific Egg Company which was to have sole access to the eggs and the nesting grounds.
Predictably, this wasn’t taken very well by the other ‘eggers’ and nesting season on the island became an increasingly aggressive time as the years rolled by. In 1859, the Federal Government complicated matters further by appropriating Farallon for a lighthouse throwing the islands suddenly into the centre of a power struggle.
During the eight weeks between May and June (peak egging season) the islands and the waters around it were a hotbed of crime. From hijackings of rival boats carrying eggs to violent skirmishes on the islands themselves. The keepers sent by the government to oversee the lighthouse construction also found themselves caught up in the fray and in 1860 an armed mob even demanded they leave.
On June 3, 1963, the drawn-out clash came to a head when a group of Italian fishermen led by David Batchelder tried to forcibly take control of the Farallon Islands. Three boats of heavily armed men tried many times to land but were thwarted repeatedly by the US Revenue Cutter Service, a predecessor to the Coast Guard. The Pacific Egg Company held the shore and warned them to land ‘at their peril’.
The irate Italians sat just off the coast in their boats, drinking and taunting the men on shore. Come morning, they were exhausted, but fuelled with rage and alcohol they landed and the Pacific Egg Company opened fire. After 20 minutes of cannon and gunfire, the Italians retreated and when the smoke cleared, one Pacific Egg Company employee lay dead and five of the boatmen were badly injured, one dying later from his wounds.
The government finally decided it was time to step in, but instead of banning egging altogether, they granted the rights solely to the Pacific Egg Company which continued to ravage the nests yearly. Over time, the Murre population dwindled, dropping from 400,000 to 60,000 and the company began rendering seal and sea lion fat into oil – a particularly smelly and wholly unsanctioned activity – to make up the drop in profits. Eventually, the US Military ousted the Pacific Egg Company in 1881.
Perhaps the first men to seek out Murre eggs were doing so purely out of necessity, but in a common narrative through human history, mankind’s greed reared its ugly head, and in the ongoing conflicts between 1849 and 1881 many profited from the great California Egg Rush. But when the gunpowder finally settled, it seems like it was the birds and beasts of Farallon Islands who were the ones who really paid the price.