The California Gold Rush

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

The daily life of a miner was far from perfect. The way the papers and other means of propaganda had portrayed getting rich quick, but it was far from easy. All the equipment that was needed to start out as a miner was for the most part outrageous. The earning wages from gold was” sixteen dollars an ounce” pg.8. Even so, the work was backbreaking. There was swarms of minors trying to get rich quick. To many miners that traveled to get a piece of the precious metal they where resorted to taking land from previous land owner just to get ahead in the Gold Rush. Not to mention that the living conditions where also outrageous. The “rentals of hotels and other business structures, whether of boards or of canvas, reached even dizzier heights than did commodity prices” pg.8. This spaces where set prices at 3,000 dollars a month or 40,000 dollars for a year, there was also other prices around the area of San Francisco. And in some cases miners where resorted to living in a room filled to the brim with other miners. This lead to very poor conditions for any one to live in. But nothing was better then being rich in a few months or

The Gold Rush of California was a “shot heard” round the world that caught the ears of many individuals who were seeking the golden opportunities of the West. (Chan & Olin 1992). With the dreams of wealth on the horizon, the Gold Rush brought on a drastic change in American society. For the women of this period, their lives would be altered in ways that would change the Western frontier. With an eagerness for wealth and equality women now found themselves struggling to survive in a society that was mainly male dominant and branch out from the normalcy of womanhood, which would transform occupational drive, prostitution and marital status.

Not only did the Gold Rush create a prosperous mining climate, it also indirectly lead to an even more booming agrarian economy; that in 1869 surpassed mining in employment and then later in 1879 became the leading element to the California economy10. By the late 1870’s, there was nearly 600,000 thousand people living in the Golden State11. In order to feed so many mouths so quick, many people that could not make it as a miner or in the now blooming cities decided to settle on plots of land and become farmers. Most preferred the farming lifestyle opposed to a miner’s life because it was safer. In addition, due to California’s vast natural resources, fertile abundant land and great weather, growing food and raising livestock was easy compared to the eastern United States and other parts of the world. The Gold Rush also permitted the cattle industry to once again flourish in the west as a cattle boom from the north was guided to California for sale to the

The California gold rush began when a gold nugget was uncovered in the American River during 1848. Not only did this discovery entice Americans from all over the United States to travel to California in hopes of making their own profit, but it also brought a torrent of Chinese immigrants to the United States between 1849 and 1882. At the time of the gold rush, China's economy was very weak. There were wars and famines occurring. When news of the gold rush reached China, many Chinese men set out to America with hopes of gaining wealth and returning back to their homes. “After the gold rush, Chinese immigrants worked as agricultural laborers, on railroad construction crews throughout the West, and in low-paying industrial jobs” (Chinese Immigration to the United States - For Teachers). Some even opened their own businesses.

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.

What was the California Gold Rush and how did it impact Westward Expansion and the growth of California.

The commencement of the California Gold Rush was on January 24th, 1848 and ceased in the year of 1855. The Gold Rush migration began when James W. Marshall, originally a sawmill operator, discovered a piece of gold at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California. He was shocked to find gold because he was initially at the sight trying to build a sawmill. After news broke out of his finding, others wanted in on the luck. Within just one year, the mass migration quickly began to grow, attracting approximately three hundred thousand people from other states and abroad to search for gold like

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 first vessel to carry argonauts to San Francisco was the steamship California. In October 1848, before the gold rush started, the California had left New York and headed for San Francisco. By the time the vessel rounded Cape Horn and reached Panama City — on January 17,1849 — about 1,500 American gold-hunters were waiting to board. However the ship, which had berths for 210 people, was already transporting many South Americans.” (Saffer, 14) Most of the men that traveled to California didn’t make much profit at all. Many of the 49ers missed their opportunity for fame and fortune because they came at a later time during the gold rush when there was nothing left. A majority of the miners missed their chance to become rich during the California Gold Rush. Only a very small amount of miners became rich. Most miners had to return to their families with nothing with them. Some miners couldn’t even return home to their families. "Brannan became a millionaire selling mining goods, real estate, and his publications. Many men wound up plying the trades they had practiced back home, serving as carpenters, shopkeepers, doctors, lawyers, and blacksmiths.” These people became very wealthy and all they had to do was play the system. So many minors failed to become rich and only really just lost

     What effects did the Gold Rush have on people? Some became forever rich, and some lost everything. In 1849, California was a rather uncivilized place, especially San Francisco. Miner’s came from every where to try to find their fortune, but most fortunes weren’t made mining gold, they were made because of mining. Sam Brannan was one such man who made his fortune this way. Brannan bought every shovel, pan, and every other mining related tool he could in the region. A twenty-cent metal pan now became a fifteen-dollar pan, and the only place to buy them was from Sam Bannan. Levi Strauss, a tailor who happened to have very popular canvas pants made his fortune from the Gold Rush. Phillip Armour, of Armour Meat packing company, and John Studebaker just to name a couple more. Unfortunately, not everybody could get rich, for every one person that struck it big; there were thousands that didn’t. It is not uncommon to hear stories of men leaving their wife, kids and

The gold rush of 1848 was a journey of dreams. Thousands left their families behind to seek a better, more financially secure life. A time so long ago that what we learn about it today is mostly from history books. But then one day you are lucky enough to come across something as simple as a letter. This letter is a small bit of history that opens up a window into the life and journey of a gold seeker.

“Gold!! Gold!! Gold!!” I heard a newsboy crying out the Seattle Post- Intelligencer morning’s headline at the Puget Sound area on July 17, 1897.The Puget Sounds residents gathering at the small waterfront were been attracted by the tempting title. The message had sent shock waves across the entire North America. Within days, I saw thousand of fortune seekers were gave the risks of their lives and times steps on to the unknown adventures of finding “Gold”. The stampeders were eagerly to bought the supplies and then boarded ships bound for the wild unknown of Alaska and Canada. As a lumber worker, I did not have much interest on gold as those fortune seekers did. As far as I know, the cry of “Klondike gold rush” had become the first impression of then world’s imagination to thought of Seattle. From my understanding, the frenzy activity had ensured Seattle position

The discovery of the California Gold Rush took place by chance. Mainly the amount of the world’s gold is deep underground and embedded in hard rock. Unlike anywhere else in the world at that time the gold in California was simple to dig up, free for the taking and required little tools to acquire any gold. Only things required: a pick or shovel and a pan to shift out the gold from the rock, sand and debris. The Gold Rush affected not only California, but the outcome of the nation. Creating the expansion of our nation into Western America and California. Hundreds of thousand Americans and foreigners moved toward the Sierra Nevada’s, with the hopes of sticking it rich. Which impacted the social life and the economy, while effected the rest of the country. Producing a number of diverse people seeking to make a fortune, influenced California and the American life.

What do you think of when you hear, California Gold Rush? Lots of miners, doing nothing but panning for gold all day, even neglecting hygiene? Partially accurate, let’s start at the beginning. In 1848, James Marshall was hired by John Sutter to build a saw mill in Sacramento Valley. As he was digging, he discovered two gold nuggets and the news spread everywhere. As it went, the stories grew, some said he found an entire mountain of gold! Everyone, far and wide, all the way from Germany to Japan, decided that they were going to get there first. Thinking that in just a few hours of hard work, they would go from being Middle Class people, to the richest men and women anyone knew.