One can only guess, Bob. Remember that California was part of Mexico until 1846, although I get the impression that Spanish and Mexican settlements here in Northern California were few and far between - mostly the missions along the Camino Real. There were large numbers of American settlers for a fair amount of time before the Gold Rush - some became Mexican citizens, and many would have read Mexican newspapers. So, a song like that could have been published in a Mexican newspaper in California in the 1840s. I get the impression that the song was popular during the Gold Rush, but I haven't found any actual mention of it in documents from that period.

But I'm pretty pleased about finding this. I have to call my neighbor Debby McClatchy and gloat.

-Joe Offer, Colfax, California-