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The California Gold Rush
Chapter 13 Section 4
California Before the Rush
Populated by Native Americans and Californios Settlers of Spanish or Mexican descent Lived on huge cattle ranches acquired from
California missions.
John Sutter Persuaded Mexican governor to give him land
in 1839 Built a fort on 50,000 acres, dreamed of
agricultural empire
Sutter’s Mill In 1848, Sutter sent James Marshall to build
a sawmill on the American River
“My eye was caught by a glimpse of something shining…I reached my hand down and picked it up; it made my heart thump for I felt certain it was gold”
Rush for Gold News of the discovery spread rapidly
Miners soon found gold in other streams
1849 thousands of gold seekers headed to CA: called “49er’s”
Reaching California Fortune seekers had three ways to get to
California:
Sail around South America 18,000 miles, storms, sickness, spoiled food
Sail to Isthmus of Panama, cross overland, then sail to CA Risk of deadly tropical disease
Travel trails across North America
Who Went to California?
Young men “A gray beard is almost as rare as
a petticoat” Luzena Wilson In 6 months she only saw 2
other women in Sacramento
2/3rds were white Americans
Others were Native Americans, free blacks, slaves
Mexico, Europe, South American, Australia, China
Conflicts Began to force Native Americans, Mexicans
and Chinese out of gold fields
Discrimination increased after CA became a state in 1850
Foreign Miners Tax: imposed a tax of $20 a month on miners from other countries
Most left or opened other businesses
Life in the Mining Camps
Mad Mule Gulch, Hangtown, Coyote Diggings
Began as rows of tents, then rough wooden buildings of stores and saloons
Mining towns were dangerous
A long way away from Mom and Wife: a “No” culture
Mining Life Pickings were rare
Days spent in knee-deep icy streams
Sifted through sand and mud
Exhaustion, poor food, and disease
Outrageous high prices for basic supplies
Gamblers and con artists
Who became Rich? Merchants:
Restaurants Hotels Boarding Houses General Stores Laundries Wells, Fargo, and Co.
Impacts of Gold Rush 1852 Gold Rush over
250,000 now in CA
Caused economic growth
Port city of San Francisco became center of banking, manufacturing, shipping and trade.
Sacramento became center of a productive farming region
Impacts of Gold Rush Californios had property seized by
Americans
Spanish Heritage still lives in CA and Southwest
Native Americans suffered disease, loss of hunting grounds, murdered By 1870 their population went from 150,000 to
58,000
California became a free state, causing an unbalance in the Senate
Impacts of Gold Rush Transcontinental Railroad
Connected both coasts Built up towns along the rails Moved goods across the continent
Environmental Used hydro mining, tore away hillsides and
bluffs Streambeds redirected due to digging Fish were killed