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The Impact Of The Colorado Gold Rush

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If you had the opportunity to get rich off of gold, would you? Would you be willing to leave everything you have behind to move thousands of miles across the country just for gold? In 1859, the answer for many people was yes. Word of gold found throughout Colorado spread across the country and launched the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush or also known as the Colorado Gold Rush. There are several significant events in Colorado history that have had an influential impact on the state we know today. The Colorado Gold Rush, in 1859, was the most significant event in Colorado History for several reasons: the rush attracted thousands of people to our state, initiated the mining of other resources, succored farming and ranching throughout the state, and boosted the economy of the towns here in Colorado; these benefits of the rush continue to play a role in our state still today. Because of the Colorado Gold Rush, people swarmed into the state with the optimism of becoming rich. Even though many of these people were “go backers,” the people that did stay assisted in the development of mining towns all throughout the state. A Pike’s Peak journalist described the flocking of people claiming “thousands from the farther East swarmed into the Missouri valley towns, and enough hardy souls crossed the Plains in the fall of 1858 to give the newly-founded towns of Auraria and Denver at the mouth of Cherry creek on the South Platte about 125 cabins, huts, and tents by Christmas.” The gold rush

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