In Two Years Before the Mast Richard Henry Dana describes how he sailed from Boston to California in 1834 to collect hides. He explains how hides are dried and loaded onto the ships before returning to the East Coast. Since California had nothing else of wealth at that time the dried hides were known as California Banknotes. The hides are brought down dry, or they will not be received. When taken from the animal they have holes cut in the ends, and are staked out, and thus dried in the sun without shrinking. They are then doubled once, lengthwise, with the hair side usually in, and sent down upon mules or in carts, and piled above high-water mark: and then we take them upon our heads, one at a time, or two, if they are small, and wade out with them and through them into the boat.
On page 140 of the book detailed at the end is a fine description of the full cure process used to prepare the hides for a wait of over a year before they would get back to Boston around the Cape for tanning. Hides were valued in Boston at 12 and a half cents a pound dry salted and the captain got 1% commission. Ships would spend nearly a year collecting and accumulating hides up and down the California cost to make the journey worthwhile. On Dana's ship they brought back 40,000 hides.
On page 140 of the book detailed at the end is a fine description of the full cure process used to prepare the hides for a wait of over a year before they would get back to Boston around the Cape for tanning. Hides were valued in Boston at 12 and a half cents a pound dry salted and the captain got 1% commission. Ships would spend nearly a year collecting and accumulating hides up and down the California cost to make the journey worthwhile. On Dana's ship they brought back 40,000 hides.