A gold rush happens when a large amount of people race to find gold where gold had just been discovered. This happens because gold is rarer than most other metals and it cost a lot to mine it. Gold last forever and conducts heat and electricity without being magnetic which is why it is used in electronics. Gold is used in over half of all jewelry because it is durable and shiny. These are the reasons gold is worth a lot and is why gold causes a commotion.
America had a great big gold rush in 1849 where tens of thousands of people headed to Coloma, California to dig for gold in the American River. Some people lucked out and found gold to make them rich, others quit their job to go to the river and returned home with less money then they started. Most miners had tools like a pick, pan, shovel, and a bucket. They also carried around water canteens to satisfy their thirst while they spent all day mining for gold. …show more content…
James Marshal made the decision to check on a canal, him and his crew had been working on. He checked on it only to notice a shiny golden rock. Marshal picked up the rock and inspected to see if what he had found was really gold. He thoroughly checked using an encyclopedia to find information on how gold reacts to certain tests. After checking it he decided to show John Sutter. Marshal and Sutter checked once more and after proving to themselves its real gold they Sutter started to worry quick. He was worried he couldn’t keep it to himself until he owned the land which wasn’t legal until Mexico signed a treaty after losing the Mexican-American war. What Sutter decided to do was to tell Marshal and his men not to tell anyone. Sutter realized that this would be a hard secret to keep even for