Mexican Gold Rush History

It is well known that industrialization in America started in the east. However, the gold rush was the reason why California industrialized much faster than the east. With the technological improvements, that the gold rush demands it helped California industrialize much faster. James Marshall first discovered gold on January 24 1848 on the south fork of the American river. A not so well know part of California history is that James Marshall was not the first person to discover gold in California. Francisco Lopez was the first documented gold rush in California. It is less know because right after Lopez had discovered gold the war between Mexico and US had begun. Moreover, like everyone knows Mexico lost and lost California and other territory to the US. After James Marshall had found gold and after everyone had started to hear the news, few people started rushing to the minefields. The gold rush fever had not started yet because many people were hesitant. It wasn’t until president, President Polk at that time, confirmed that there really was gold found in California after the announcement by Polk was heard. Massive amount of people from all over the world rushed to California. States were not the first to hear about the news. Actually, people in Hawaii were the first to find out. As trading ships were leaving the San Francisco port on their trips across the pacific. Was when the Hawaii found out about the news? When the states

I think people at that time had already known that there was a various significant economy in California before it became a state. Then, people discovered to seek the gold all around the California area. “California was still the property in Mexico that would change things…Americans to the west had the discovery been three years later…”

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 California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a period in American history which began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California.[1] The news of gold brought—mostly by sailing ships and covered wagons—some 300,000 gold-seekers (called "forty-niners", as in "1849") to California.[2] While most of the newly arrived were Americans, the Gold Rush also attracted some tens of thousands from Latin America, Europe, Australia, and Asia.

In the article “Getting to California” it states that, “By 1849, people from all over the world- Asia, Australia, Europe, Hawaii, North America, and South Africa- were scrambling to California. Many came not only to seek their fortunes, but also to find a better way of life. Of the almost 90,000 people who hastened to the gold fields in 1849, about 23,000 were U.S. citizens.” (saffer,14) It is amazing how all of these people traveled to California, they were so motivated.

Thesis: Although there were several factors and events that had led up to the California Gold Rush, the Westward Expansion, the discovery of gold, and immigration and work were the most influential.

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 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.

Before long ships from Asia, Australia, Europe and South America were left stranded in the San Francisco Bay as everybody looked to accomplish their own particular variant of the American Dream in the Gold Rush also.

“Gold!! Gold!! Gold!!” I heard a newsboy crying out the Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s morning headline in the Puget Sound area on July 17, 1897. The Puget Sound’s residents who gathered at the small waterfront area were attracted by the tempting title. The message had sent shock waves across entire North America. Within days, I saw thousands of fortune seekers risking their lives for the unknown adventures of finding gold. The stampeders eagerly bought supplies and then boarded ships bound for the wild unknown of Alaska and Canada. As a lumber worker, I did not have as much interest in gold as that of those fortune seekers. As

California shifted greatly in its early years. From being predominantly inhabited by Native Americans, to being conquered by the Spanish, being declared a part of Mexico and finally being claimed by the United Stated in 1846. Shortly after, gold was discovered in the Sacramento Valley region and the population of California grew by nearly 1,000% percent, with nearly 100,000 Anglos flocking to the area(History). The United States would then acquire official statehood in 1850. In the pre-war era, there were nearly 10,000 people of Spanish decent inhabiting California. However, in 1850 the percentage of people that spoke Spanish in California was at 15%. Yet it would soon drop yet again to a dismal 4% by 1870 (Pitti).

"Gold! Gold! Gold from the American River!” shouted Samuel Brannan, a newspaper publicist from San Francisco, following the discovery of gold in California (Rhodes 168). This event sparked a new era of immigration to California in 1848. The gold rush began on January 24, 1848 when gold was found by James Marshall, a foreman for John Sutter, at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California (Bancroft 32). Initially the news was kept a secret due to the risk of a massive wave of gold seekers interfering with Sutter’s land and agricultural plans. However, by March of 1848, Samuel Brannan’s flamboyant confirmation to the rumors created the California gold rush. Hordes of people from around the world traveled to California in search for gold and success. San Francisco’s population exponentially grew from a small settlement of about 200 residents in 1846 to a city of about 36,000 by 1852 (Johnson 12-14). As news spread, the event became known worldwide. The gold rush in California was a vital event that became the basis for the social and economic boom that subsequently fashioned global fame, an influx of settlers and, as a result, the 31st addition to the union as “The Golden State”.

Gold found in California starting the Gold Rush, happened to not be the first discovery of gold in there. “But gold had been found in 1843 near the Mission San Fernando in Southern California”. Although this discovery did not spark much attention, reason being. At that the time the country was under Mexican rule. “ The great California gold rush began on January 24,1848, when James W. Marshall discovered a gold nugget in the American River while constructing a sawmill for John Sutter, a Sacramento agriculturalist”. Discovery of this gold generated the Gold Rush, which is one of the most significant events that

“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

The California Gold Rush was a very tough time for many cultures. The gold searching included many people like, Native Americans, gangs, and Foreigners. Native Americans were the first victims, Foreigners were treated to contempt, and many gangs stole until they were caught and forcibly stopped. There were many challenges individuals faced such as harsh punishments for claiming a miner’s gold, there wasn’t any police or guards to protect the gold, and many individuals who dug for gold struggled from Xenophobia.