California Gold Rush Research Paper

The discovery of gold in the Sacramento Valley in 1848 sparked the California Gold Rush, one of the most significant events to shape America.1 From 1848-1855, thousands of immigrants came to California to mine for gold. San Francisco grew from a population of 1,000 to 20,000 in two years due to this.2 Many men left their jobs to try their luck at getting rich from mining gold. A total of $2 billion worth of gold was extracted from California by the end of 1852.1 On January 24, 1848, James W. Marshall discovered a gold nugget in the American river at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains near Coloma, CA.1 Marshall found it while constructing a sawmill on a water powered sawmill owned by John Sutter. Sutter was a European immigrant that help found Nueva Helvetia (New Switzerland). Nueva Helvetia would later become Sacramento, the capital of California. The men tried to keep the discovery a secret but word spread when Sam Brannan, a storekeeper, set off a frenzy when he

Gold panning became a popular to find gold. Panning works by putting gravel and water into a pan and then shaking the pan.4 After shaking, the gold and gravel will be separated. The best method was hydraulic mining, but it was very damaging to the environment. During the gold rush, California was hit with a labor shortage because men had left their jobs to get rich mining for gold.5 When the gold was hard to find, the immigrants found jobs that were left behind. Others decided to leave mining and open stores and businesses in boom towns. Store and other business owners who sold mining supplies often became wealthier than the miners.4 They were able to sell items at high prices because the miners were making a lot of money. Businesses, churches, and other buildings being built during the gold rush helped California become a state in