Supporting a family is something that is very important, and hard to come by. The road to success is something that does not come easy in life. Many try and succeed and others have great success without much effort. In the late 1840’s, many families made just enough money to get by, it was never enough. Every week families would scrape up what little they had to spend or trade and head into town, in hopes to find some food to bring home. Every week became harder and harder, as market values were increasing.c In the winter months of 1849, news spread across America, and the world, that would forever change our Nation. There had been pure virgin gold found in the American river, near sacramento California. Many families would soon make a decision …show more content…
Cargo ships were turned into charters in order to accommodate for all of the passengers. Items on board a ship may have been: Salt pork, ham, Salt beef, hard bread, butter and cheese, salt, tea, sugar and spice. Problems with taking these supplies along on a long voyage was that meat went bad, Rates ate the cheese, Butter and lard went rancid, Candles melted near the equiater and wine turned into vinegar. There were two routes, the Panama route and the cape horn route. The panama could often be faster, but much more dangerous, as for Panama had many diseases that were widespread and easy to catch. The cape horn journey was longer and more dangerous, with high winds. Ships were often pulled south off of their course. After getting near North America again, many ships would have to go as far out as Hawaii to find winds strong enough to push them into …show more content…
The impact of gold, struck much deeper than the Sierra Mountains, said (impact of gold rush). Many 49ers did not make it off of gold mining. Many became that through other ways than mining. During the Gold Rush, it created a major Labor shortage. That created many opportunities for migrants that needed work. Most people that move to california found that gold was very hard to find. So they got jobs in cities that were rapidly growing. This need for labor exploited the Native Americans, becoming slavery without the title. This rapid growth created a great economic growth. Manufacturing, trade, merchant businesses, agriculture, and banks began to become flourishing. The Californian economy boomed. Many companies across the country invested in the gold rush in some way. “We reached San Francisco on the 20th, and found out that all, or nearly all, its male inhabitants had gone to the mines. The town, which a few months before was so busy and thriving, was then almost deserted. On the evening of the 24th, the horses of the escort were crossed to Sausalito in a launch, and on the following day we resumed the journey, by way of Bodega and sonoma, to Sutter's Fort, where we arrived on the morning of July 2. Along the whole route mills were lying to idle, fields of wheat were open to cattle and horses, houses vacant, and farms going to waste.”-Col Richard Barnes
The first few bits of gold were found around January of 1848 near the region of Coloma. As a result the west had a sudden surge of migrants moving to California in the hopes of excavating gold and getting rich off of the gold. This event in American history became known as the California gold rush and it would have a great impact not only on the nation but on the world, however this job came with many great risks and challenges.
The overall impact of the Gold Rush is seen through the effects of this population boom the population of cities like San Francisco exploded, and a huge, modern infrastructure was built to accommodate this population boom. The Gold Rush also played a large role in the desire for a Transcontinental Railroad, and is seen by many as the foundation for today’s West. However, the effects of the Gold Rush were localized to the Western States, particularly California. The countrywide effects of the Transcontinental Railroad strongly contrast the localized impacts of the Gold Rush, making the Transcontinental Railroad far more impactful on Westward Expansion due to the fact that its impact was seen in Eastern and Western
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 Gold Rush during the mid 1800s had a major impact on the movement westward. People traveled thousands of miles across all kinds of rugged terrain in pursuit of wealth and riches. The large amount of settlers in California during this time created a state full of diversity which remains the same to this day. These enormous amounts of people, however, made it difficult for the economy to support the ones who weren’t so lucky. On top of this, there was also a huge destruction of the Native population, and even discrimination against other newcomers. The Gold Rush also created significant environmental hazards throughout the area that are still a problem today. All these things are solid indicators that the Gold Rush actually had a negative impact on California.
do was ask the men at the mill to keep the secret for another six
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.
There were 2 ways to travel by boat and by land. Travelers that took the boats had to sail all the way around South America. This was hard on them because it took a very long time to get all the way around the tip of South America. Also all the dangers they could have faced. Storms, diseases, and drowning. Another reason the traveling was rough was because some travelers went by land through the trails and rough country. This posed many problems like animals could hurt them, or harsh on the body, and even just like boats weather. There was a lot of diseases traveling by foot and many people died. Lastly it states in the text “The California Gold Rush” it states “Some choose via land, but were slowed by no direct road or waterway.”(Mcgill 1-2) This gave a real problem to travelers because they may be in more danger if not on a direct passageway to there destination. They could have gotten lost forever and have to start over alone and even potentially die after running outta resources. Withstanding these difficulties is impressive so let's find out what it was like in
The hardships of joining the California gold rush was done by many in attempt of richness. The California gold rush was a popular time in America’s history when gold was found in California. Creating chaos the population of California increased greatly as others came to search for gold. While, the gold rush increased California’s population and economy it was also the beginning of Manifest Destiny. Though, the gold rush helped California it had an overall negative effect on America through overcrowded population and outbreaks of cholera.
The California Gold Rush was an event that lasted from January 24th, 1848 to 1855. The event was driven mainly by the large quantities of gold reserves that were discovered in the soon to be US state of California. This event caused many Americans to move from the eastern states and middle states to California with the hopes of finding gold. In this paper, I will analyze the economy at the time the gold rush started and attempt to answer the question of why individuals found it necessary or advantageous to move out to California in pursuit of gold. I will also consider personal accounts and editorials written to gain a more personal narrative of the conditions people were experiencing as well as their mindsets in deciding whether to move to California for the gold or not.
Gold rush is one of the significant event in the history. In this project, I will introduce what was the major effects of gold rush in the California. And how did that changed the people, economic, political and environmental effects. The Gold Rush is a rapid movement of people to a newly discovered goldfield. Gold rush was arguably one of the most significant events to build American history during the first half of the 19th century. Thousands of gold miners traveled by the sea and over the land of San Francisco and the surrounding area. In January 1848, James Wilson Marshall discovered gold along the American River. By the time, the fountain of the gold was loaded on newspaper, but it didn’t become a big event, most of people just did not really believe the account of gold. The Gold rush occurred in May 1848. A storekeeper in Sutter’s cheek who is called Sam Brannan showed a bottle filled with gold dust and shouted that he found a piece of gold from American River. So the residents of the city got a proof of the discovery of gold. People who heard about the gold discovery started to gather in San Francisco’s harbor. This is the beginning of the gold rush. By the time, gold mining was a one of tough profession. Although most people didn’t make much money, a few prospectors got fabulously rich. Also, Gold rush made a lot of Ghost Town. People rushed to the town when gold was discovered, but when the mining dried
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.
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
passed the Foreign Miners Tax. As a result of the population explosion after the Gold
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.
“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