Gold nuggets were discovered in Sacramento Valley in 1848. People started to travel to San Francisco by land and overseas after they heard about this amazing discovery. By the end of 1849 the population was about 100,000.
The Discovery of Gold
|
'49ers Arrive
Throughout 1849, people throughout the United States borrowed money, mortgaged their property, or spent their life savings to make the journey to California. By the end of the year the population was about 100,000. Gold mining towns sprung up all over the region in order to reach the needs of the '49ers. The overcrowded chaos caused the mining camps and towns to become lawless.
Impact of the Gold Rush
After 1850, miners still kept coming even though the surface of gold largely disappeared in California. The new technique of hydraulic mining brought enormous profits and damage to the landscape around the mining area. Although gold mining continued throughout the 1850's, it reached its peak in 1852, when some $81 million was pulled form the ground. Over the years the miners started to get $47 million each year as the gold amount was decreasing by 1857. By the end of the decade the states population was about 380,000.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/goldrush/sfeature/game_swf.html This is a fun website to learn more about the people during the Gold Rush! You also play as that character throughout the game! Good luck!
LEQ: How did the westward expansion transform the nation? The California Gold Rush helped a lot with the Westward Expansion. This especially helped the state of California This helped increase the population and they earned a lot of money from people getting jobs and buying land for homes. This also helped with developing the technology and landscape from mining.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/goldrush/sfeature/game_swf.html This is a fun website to learn more about the people during the Gold Rush! You also play as that character throughout the game! Good luck!
LEQ: How did the westward expansion transform the nation? The California Gold Rush helped a lot with the Westward Expansion. This especially helped the state of California This helped increase the population and they earned a lot of money from people getting jobs and buying land for homes. This also helped with developing the technology and landscape from mining.