...THE GOLD RUSH Ads created to get settlers to go out west. The gold rush was a big attention getter for the companies trying to get people to book passage on their ships. Advertisements like these helped the population of the west grow from 26,000 people in 1848 to 380,000 people by 1860 and the west continues to grow today. The above picture is a Sierra County miner panning for gold. Approximately 16,000 settlers came to the Sierra Valley between 1848 and 1860. Due to the settlement of the miners, communities grew and people began to raise cattle which provided meat and diary products. Hay was also produced for the ranchers. By the 1880’s, Sierra Valley, California was a well known agricultural region as well as a gold mining town. Water Development by the Forty-Niners Miners needed water to help get the gold out. So they dug flumes and ditches to change the water flow of the streams and rivers to get the gold out. When the gold became difficult to find, the miners became farmers and used the irrigation ditches to water their crops. Information about the Gold Rush 1. California gold rush lasted from 1849 to approximately 1869. The gold fields were named “The Mother Lode”. These fields produced approximately 250,000,000 dollars worth of gold. 2. The discovery of the gold in California was given to James Marshall who found The gold at Sutter’s Mill on the American River in 1848. However, historians now believe...
Words: 625 - Pages: 3
...interesting what they find there” said dan bryers. In the early days on january of 1848 until 1855 many people were flooding the state California in hopes to strike it rich at one of the many mines and rivers that were filled with gold. Men and women of all ages and races traveled hundreds to thousands of miles to get to the city of gold. The gold was first discovered by james w marshall at Sutter's mill in Coloma, California. Unfortunately for John Shutter he didn’t end up striking it rich Marshall's discovery lead to the largest mass migration of people in the US. United States citizens weren't the only people to migrate west, thousands of people from around the world fled to find the gold. More than less men and women would...
Words: 1764 - Pages: 8
...The Gold Rush The California Gold Rush of 1848 greatly impacted California in numerous ways. The Gold rush began on January 24, 1848 in what is known as Sacramento, California at Sutter's Mill where 750,000 was extracted. There are many interesting parts to the Gold Rush such as how it started, the adventure to California, the mining and end of the Gold Rush, and the impact the Gold Rush had on California. The Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848 at Sutter's Milles when James Wilson Marshall was trying to build a water powered saw-mill. All of a sudden he saw a shiny rock and was sure it was gold. “It made my heart thump, for I was certain it was gold,” he said. This event would change California forever. John Sutter the owner of Sutter’s Mill...
Words: 276 - Pages: 2
...the California’s gold rush OF 1849 and how it changed and shaped AMERICA’S WEST EN1320 Gold, since the beginning of civilization has been the focal point of wealth and power. The alluring power of gold stirred the untapped desires of man all though out history. Causing great changes in civilization and molding us to what we are today. The same holds true to the American gold rush in 1849 in California. How that gold rush shaped American economy and the west of the Americas in that time frame. The gold discovery that caught the eye of the world and brought attention to California happened on January 24, 1848 two week right before the peace signing negotiations between the Mexico and American governments (hittell, 1999) . In short the Mexican government gave up a huge discovery in the California’s lands that they had control over at that time. Neither the America nor the Mexican governments knew the magnitude of the discovery in California until the singing was over. The gold discovery that changed America happened in Sacramento Valley, most likely one of the most significant events to shape American history during the first half of the 19th century (The Gold Rush of 1849). As the news spread about the discovery of gold people by the thousand poured into San Francisco and the surrounding area by land and sea by the end of 1849 over 100,000 nonnatives California’s occupied the California claim lands. Before the 1849 discovery records showed that occupies was less...
Words: 1087 - Pages: 5
...California was a land where the American Dream came true for many. Before the gold rush, California was under the Mexican rule since 1821. California’s population mainly consisted of about 6,500 Californios, 700 Americans and 150,000 Native Americans. Most of the Californians lived on vast ranches granted to them by the Mexican government. New settlers, mainly Americans, started moving into California for land and trade. Mexican control over California weakened following the Bear Flag revolt by the settlers and the United States took control of the region. The United States waged war against Mexico for manifest destiny and a dispute over Texas in the Mexican–American War on May 19,1846. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo between United States and Mexico ended the war officially on February 2,1848. California was handed over to United States. Neither the United States nor Mexico knew that gold had recently been discovered in California in 1848. The discovery of gold set off a major historical event in California, the California Gold Rush! James Marshall accidentally discovered gold while at work on January 24,1848 in Coloma, California. He was a carpenter building a sawmill on the banks of the American River at Coloma for John Sutter, a Swiss immigrant to California who founded the Sutter’s Fort in Sacramento. On January 24, 1848 James Marshall noticed tiny golden flakes sparkling in the American River and was astonished to find that it was gold! He reported this to John...
Words: 1547 - Pages: 7
...history for my family. Living in California at the time gave plenty of opportunities for many miners because of the overflow of gold that had been presented. Before the discovery of gold in 1848, most of the West didn't belong to the U.S. Many Americans believed it was the country's "manifest destiny" to stretch from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, and President James Polk (1845-1849) was determined to acquire the Oregon territory from Great Britain and California from Mexico. He secured Oregon through a series of treaties, but California was a lot tougher (Elder, 2013). From January 1848 to 1860, the rivers that flowed from the Sierra Nevada produced a flood and abundance of gold. As soon as word passed around many people migrated to California in hopes of getting a piece of the “pie”. In 1849 almost one hundred thousand people came over from other places, while an estimated two hundred fifty thousand came by 1855. From San Francisco to China, from Australia to Western Europe, the social, economic, and political effects of California gold were profound. Among European nations, the impact in France and on the French was perhaps the most profound. Once it hit, gold fever attracted experienced miners from Latin America, laborers from China, investors from Europe, and speculators from Australia. Almost overnight, San Francisco was transformed from a tiny settlement of 1,000 in 1848 to a boomtown of 25,000 by the end of 1849 (the rush of gold prospectors eventually lent their...
Words: 902 - Pages: 4
...Daniel McClure California Culture October 1, 2014 California Sunshine and Noir California, the Golden State, where the sun is always shining, the waves are always crashing, and dreams are coming true. Right? Well, not exactly. It hasn’t always been sunshine and smiles for the great state of California. The state has gone through a variety of stages both economically, and politically. Throughout these phases, there have been a fair amount of themes that have helped build the foundation of California culture. Of course, there is the notion that anyone can move to California and strike it rich. This dream that is still very alive today has contributed in the past and present with massive booms in immigration into California. This popular conception is warm and welcoming, but it does not tell the entire story of California. When looking into the past and understanding how this state came to be, there is a dark and iniquitous aura that suggests that California isn’t really that enchanting, glamorous place that it is made out to be. The California Dream all started in 1848 when discovery of gold sparked a rapid movement known as the California Gold Rush. Word quickly spread when John Marshall first made his discovery in the American River. As Albert L. Hurtado explains in his paper, “Sex, Gender, Culture, and a Great Event: The California Gold Rush, ‘It is impossible to give more than rough estimates for the number of hopeful people who poured into California from 1848 to the early...
Words: 1459 - Pages: 6
...In 1848, the west was virtually vacant of American citizens and had not yet been divided into states, resulting in unused, uncontrolled land. A push of entrepreneurism is what the U.S. needed most to influence easterners to migrate to this newly purchased soil. This push was the California gold rush. The search for a new life would bring in 300,000 determined, economy boosting Americans. The California gold rush united the new western land with the eastern U.S., setting the stage for western expansion. The risk of taking the treacherous journey to California did not seem very appealing to the easterners before this race began. The combining of the east and west, caused by the California Gold rush is well explained by a "National...
Words: 662 - Pages: 3
...There were many participating factors that led up to the California Gold Rush. One was…well the discovery of gold on January 24, 1848. After John Sutter discovered the gold, he asked his workers to keep the gold discovery a secret but it wasn’t too long since word got out. Once it did, more and more people came to California for a chance to strike it rich. Many even left their old lives behind for this once in a lifetime opportunity. The California Gold rush was an important event in history because it impacted our nation. We gained a large amount of population than anticipated in the state of California. In fact, it was the largest mass migration in U.S history. Additionally, in 1848 we had about 157,000 people and by 1853 there were...
Words: 301 - Pages: 2
...A. Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is known as the land between the rivers. The great rivers the Tigris and the Euphrates flow through the otherwise dry vast plains of Mesopotamia. The rivers start in the mountains emptying into the sea. The dry fertile soil of Mesopotamia is difficult to grown crops. But close to the rivers the land was fertile. The fertile soil comes down the rivers from the mountains and would collect when the rivers flood, creating the most fertile farmland in the world. This fertile land near the rivers created the rise of the earliest civilization in history. With the land irrigated by the rivers farming became extremely productive, large farming populations grew along the rivers with the increase in food productions societies formed and created the first civilization in world history. ("Ancient," n.d.) B. Tea A significant example of diffusion between early human societies can be seen in the popularity of tea around the world. As per Chinese legend tea was first discovered in 2737 B.C.. Sometime around the 9th century tea was first used in Japan. Japanese monks studying in China brought it back with them when they returned to Japan. Tea drinking and ceremonies have become an important part of the Japanese culture. The Dutch were the first to import tea back to Europe. In the 16th century tea was shipped from China to Holland it was expensive and seen as a drink for the wealthy. Tea was fashionable in Holland and started to spread to other...
Words: 867 - Pages: 4
...The Native Americans first became significant in states history in the Indian Removal Act of 1830 forced Native Americans, who lived east of the Mississippi, farther west. Native Americans have a role in the state’s economy, economic goals, accomplished things, and have social goals. Native Americans role in the state’s economy is that they used buffalo meat for food and the bones, hide were used to make clothes, tepees, and tools. Some $10 billion (2002 dollars) in gold was mined from California, tribal lands between 1849 and 1862.The California Gold Rush was from 1848 through 1855 was in American history which began January 24, 1848. Gold was founded by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. This...
Words: 337 - Pages: 2
...always been intrigued with gold; dating back to the earliest civilizations and even in today's present world. Gold, in early America, was hard to come by. Most often it had to be imported from eastern countries, which of course wasn’t cheap. American needed to discover native gold; not only to save costs but also to reap the rewards that came with that find and in 1848 that dream became a reality. “James Marshall’s discovery of gold at Coloma turned out to be a seminal event in history, one of those rare moments that divide human existence into before and after” (Brands 23), the author’s message is clear from the very first page, however Brands takes an interesting approach to describe the events of the infamous gold rush....
Words: 1153 - Pages: 5
...geographic factors that contributed to the development or expansion of the United States is the California Gold Rush and the Irish Potato Famine. The first most significant factor was the California Gold Rush. Before gold was officially discovered in Northern California on January 24, 1848, Kelly (n.d.) states that the entire population of the California territory was around 25,000. A few years after California was admitted as the 31st state in The Union in 1850, a special census was taken and the population had grown to 223,856. Kelly (n.d.) also states that in San Francisco alone, the population was approximately 800 in 1848 to well over 50,000 at the close of 1849. Before the rush, California was a vast wild wilderness that most Americans never dreamed of visiting. There were tales of savage people and even more savage wilderness and it was widely known that lawlessness and general uncivility reigned supreme throughout the new Western Territories. These tales enthralled the general public but deterred most from doing anything but follow the stories through newspaper articles and books. But with the discovery of a gold nugget at a sawmill owned by John Sutter, all of this changed. Newspapers reported the great discovery and when U.S. President James Polk confirmed the rumors in his annual congressional address in December of 1848, the California Gold Rush was on! This rush came a time in history when people of the United States were daring to dream of a nation that provided...
Words: 1221 - Pages: 5
...source of transportation. The chariot was pulled by a horse which gave the two wheeled cart greater speed. (Fox) The wheels of the chariot were exceptionally lightweight and maneuverable, in part from the cross bar construction. (Fox) The chariot reached Egypt by way of war, where it spread to Asia, Greece, and Europe. The Egyptians modified the chariot to fit their needs and terrain. Wooden parts were strengthened using metal. (Fox) The Egyptian chariots were lighter than that of their enemies, giving the Egyptians an advantage in speed. (Fox) It is believed that the chariot was more widely used for transportation and hunting than for war. In 1848 gold flakes were found at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. By 1849 thousands of people were migrating to California in what is known as The California Gold Rush. (Staff,...
Words: 634 - Pages: 3
...Environmental Impact: California Gold Rush The Gold Rush of Yesterday and Its Effect on the Environment Today The California Gold Rush of 1848 produced more than a just a fever for the fortune seekers. It also produced an impact upon the environment whose effects can still be witnessed today. In 1848 the call went out across the nation, there is gold in Sutter’s Mill. As the word spread settlers and immigrants began their long treks across the plains and from far foreign lands across the seas to California. Up until the discovery of gold, much of the Californian lands had been unsettled. Between the years 1848 and 1866 some 350,000 emigrants had traveled to California in search of their fortune.1 This massive influx of such a vast number of people placed a huge burden upon the land and resulted in the dishevel of its indigenous people. As the population rapidly increased so did the need for food, water, and shelter. The requirements placed upon the land by its new population were great. The natural wildlife of the area was quickly over hunted for their meat and furs. The rivers were over fished and huge forests were clear cut to provide the demand of construction materials in support of structures and dwelling. In the lower lands trees were cut to clear land needed for farming and to provide fuel material to the mines. Natural water ways were redirected and damned to support the mining efforts. These changes only further exasperated the dwindling fish and fresh...
Words: 2238 - Pages: 9