California Gold Rush
Migration of the people going to California for gold
Overview: California, Sutter's Mill on the American River
The California gold rush began with the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill on the American River on Jan. 24, 1848. Gold had been mined earlier in western Georgia in the late 1830s. This discovery of the greatest gold rush in U.S. History.
Causes of the California Gold Rush
Gold production provided wealth for an expanding American economy and stimulated technological advances later used elsewhere in the United States and the world.
People in the California Gold Rush
California's population grew from about 14,000 in 1848 to 100,000 in 1850. The number increased to 250,000 by late 1852 and to 380,000 by 1860. While the most 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.
Conflict in the California Gold Rush
The discovery of gold and the increase in population transformed life in California. Many prospectors made fortunes from gold.
Effects in the California Gold Rush
Life for California’s Indian groups changed greatly as new residents flooded into their homelands. Violence between Indians and prospectors was common. Many Indians were subjected to forms of enforced labor. Thousands died of smallpox and other diseases.