Judy Yung Unbound Voices

Prior to the Gold Rush of 1849, California was a meagerly populated, an irrelevant area of the United States for the most part possessed by the general population of Mexico. In any case, that all changed when on January 24, 1848; woodworker and little time sawmill administrator James W. Marshall found a gold piece in the American River that would always show signs of change the historical backdrop of California and America1. Not exclusively did the Gold Rush prompt California 's permission into the Union in 1850, it additionally revived the possibility of the American Dream. Hundred 's of thousands of individuals filled the state by the draw of brisk and unending wealth. Because of the Gold Rush, California in the end turned into a

Gibbs, William. "California Gold Rush (1848–1858)." Open Collections Program: Immigration to the US, California Gold Rush, 1848-1858. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2013.

The California Gold Rush was a period of time when thousands of people from all over the world came to California for gold, some were lucky, most were not. California was owned by Mexico 1600-1846. Mexico soon allowed the U.S. to have California as it’s own state, and that is when they found the gold. The California Gold Rush was a difficult time with the challenges people faced traveling to California, the way the Forty-Niners lived, and the way they used the gold.

“At the time of the discovery, the population of California totaled around 15,000, excluding native Indians. By the end of 1849, after the international gold rush had been under way for nearly six months, the total population had passed 90,000. By 1852, it had reached well over 220,000.” Between the time periods of 1848-1852, “as many as 25,000 Mexicans migrated to the mining regions of California.” During this same span, over 2,000 African Americans had made their way into California, and by 1855 “as many as 50,000 Chinese sought wealth in California.” In addition, Chilean and French comprised two more large groups of immigrants, with estimates of 20,000 French by 1851 and somewhere between 5,000 and 8,000 Chilean by 1850. Moreover, it was not only the privileged, wealthy individuals who were the ones moving in search of gold; on the contrary, it was people from all avenues and walks of life. Individuals with nothing to lose and those with everything to lose boarded wagon trains, ships, and boats and headed for San Francisco. The California Gold Rush turned hardworking, sensible individuals into crazed, strike it rich enthusiasts. “People of all classes had departed for the diggings, including school teachers, mechanics, physicians, lawyers, tailors, clergymen, laborers, merchants, teamsters, cooks, gamblers, the first and second alcaldes, the sheriff,

“My eye was caught with the glimpse of something shining at the bottom of the ditch” - James Marshall. The California Gold Rush officially went into full motion on January 24th of 1848. Although many events contributed to or caused the California Gold Rush, the most important events were the Westward Expansion, the discovery of gold, and immigration for work. The Westward Expansion contributed to the development of the California Gold Rush by having the Oregon Trail is one of the trails opened. By the Oregon Trail, most people were roaming along other paths such as the California Trail and others that came to be during the 1840’s. The Westward Expansion was also a way for families to move along in order to start a new phase in their lives. Another pivotal event was the discovery of gold. It led to several immigrants not only local but several from Peru, Australia, China, etc. This also created job opportunities. In addition, immigration contributed to the Gold Rush by as said before several immigrants from around the world coming. Mining also became a large job. Not only for the hunt for gold but for other natural resources such as silver, copper, and oil. These three events contributed to the mass migrations and large

The California Gold Rush was a time during 1848-1857 where James W. Marshall found gold, as a result, people around the world came to California for it.

The Gold Rush is considered as one of the most significant events in the American history. It began after James Marshall discovered gold form the Sutter’s mill in Coloma, California on January 24, 1948. Though James and Sutter tired to keep this news as secret, there was one newspaper reported it. As the news spread so fast across the country and around the world that attracted hundreds of thousands of gold seekers from different areas came to California.

The California Gold Rush of 1849 was a major point in history that involved the colonization of the far west, the hunt for gold, and many issues to go along with it. During a period where nothing was really advancing or happening, many people began to look for a new job or a new way to make some form of money. In times like that, there are little to no jobs available. Some people managed to fine gold in the west, and a lot of it, specifically located in California. As people began telling others about it, the information eventually spread throughout the continent. Eventually, thousands of people were migrating out west in search of gold to get rich on.

The Gold Rush was one of the most influential times in California History. During the four years from 1848-1852, 400,000 new people flooded into the state. People from many countries and social classes moved to California, and many of them settled in San Francisco. All this diversity in one place created a very interesting dynamic. California during the Gold Rush, was a place of colliding ideals. The 49ers came from a very structured kind of life to a place where one was free to make up her own rules.

California’s gold rush began on March 1848. Just two months prior, gold was discovered in Sutter’s mill. The news was never meant to spread over anywhere else but, to their dismay, the news for gold discovered was far too immense to be kept a secret for too long. As rumors circulated then were confirmed,

     The California Gold Rush of 1849 is one of the most interesting and exiting events of the United States. From the wild stories of men striking it big, to the heart wrenching tales of people losing everything, these are what make it so alluring. There are many aspects of the California Gold Rush; effects on California; individual stories of struggle; and effects on the United States as a young country looking for stability.

The California Gold Rush took place in 1848. The discovery of gold on Sacramento started the Gold Rush. Thousands of gold miners came from all over. In the late 1840's California was populated with about 100,000 people. As people heard about the gold rush they started to go look for gold. The California gold rush was very famous in the 1840's.

The California gold rush is often chronicled as a period in American history revolving around wealth and riches. However, the Gold Rush was a major cause for both domestic and international conflict during the 1840’s and 1850’s. The awe for gold in America began in January 1848, when James Marshall found what is known as the first nugget of gold in California at Sutter’s Mill (McGill). Although the exciting news did not get to the rest of the country immediately, many still knew about the gold sighting. Sam Brannan, a local businessman, told people in neighboring towns of what Marshall had seen, and people began to flock to the land surrounding Sutter’s Mill (McGill)

The news of the discovery of gold spread quickly to every corner of the world, and people gradually started to come to California from groups of dozens to ten thousands. J.S. Holiday in his book Rush for Riches described the migration of the people as, “For years thereafter, gold seekers by the hard to count thousands pushed ashore at California’s suddenly famous city” (83). Because population of California had grown excessively, California began to develop. New towns, roads, churches, and schools sprung up. William Weber Johnson wrote in his informative book The Forty-Niners“A potential town was born when a prospector squatting at a wilderness stream washed out a pan full of gold bearing dirt…

“To many Californians the mention of January 24, 1948, conveys no special meaning, nor is that date widely commemorated in the state. Yet it had a special significance in the history of California, for on that day James Marshall, a moody carpenter from Missouri, discovered the first gold nuggets that resulted in a stampede known as the California Gold Rush.” The California Gold Rush drew in thousands of white settlers, all seeking a better life and a chance