The Gold rush
The Migration of
Overview:
The California gold rush began with the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill on the American River on Jan. 24, 1848. Although gold had been mined earlier—in western Georgia in the late 1830s—this discovery precipitated the greatest gold rush in U.S. history. When word reached San Francisco , thousands from that city and other parts of California flocked to the region. The great rush, however, began in 1849. California's population grew from about 14,000 in 1848 to 100,000 in 1850. That number increased to 250,000 by late 1852 and to 380,000 by 1860.
Causes
Rock was hauled to the surface, crushed, and treated to extract the precious dust. Such work, however, required huge amounts of capital. The individual placer miner either went to work as a wage laborer, returned home, or wandered on to gold strikes in Colorado, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, and Arizona between 1859 and 1890. Subsequent gold strikes in Australia (1851), the Transvaal (1886) in South Africa, the Klondike (1896), and Alaska (1898) produced similar sequences of events.
people
That number increased to 250,000 by late 1852 and to 380,000 by 1860. While the majority of immigrants were from the United States, forty-niners also came from China, Australia, many Latin American nations, and all parts of Europe to prospectors' camps such as Yreka, Spanish Bar, and Grass Valley.
When word reached San Fransisco thousands from that city and other parts of California flocked to the region. The great rush, however, began in 1849. California's population grew from about 14,000 in 1848 to 100,000 in 1850.
conflict
Others sailed around the tip of South America. The trip took six months, and it was dangerous. Ships were often overcrowded. They did not carry enough fresh food. Many travelers drowned or died from disease. When the ships arrived, crews left them and ran off to hunt for gold.
Summary
Thousands of would-be prospectors headed north in 1897–98, seeking gold near the Klondike River in western Canada's Yukon Territory. Only a few of them found riches, but the Klondike gold rush brought settlers to Alaska, which borders the Yukon. The United States commemorates that colorful chapter in history in Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park.