Effects Of The Gold Rush On California

The Gold Rush's Effects on California

The state of California contains an abundance of resources in its land. But only one of its resources sent the whole country running over. That one resource is gold! This event would be one of the biggest in U.S. history and would change the United States forever. The Gold Rush changed many lives and affected many aspects of California.

It all started in 1848, James Marshall struck gold in California (“Gold Rush Overview”). It was just the beginning of what would later become one of the most significant events in American history: The Gold Rush (“Gold Rush Overview”). This one event brought in over 300,000 immigrants (“The Gold Rush in California”). Most settlers came in the year 1849 and hence the term

Due to the influx of Europeans moving to the West, most tribes had to abandon their land (“Gold, Greed & Genocide”). The Europeans brought over all kinds of diseases that caused the deaths of up to 16,000 Native Americans in California (Blakemore). Most died from smallpox but, malaria, influenza, yellow fever, measles, typhus, bubonic plague, typhoid fever, cholera, and pertussis were also diseases the Native Americans suffered from as well (Boyd). Another thing that caused the decline of the Native American population in California was widespread random killings and individual miner murders (“California Indian History”). This made the Native American population go down by 100,000 (“Gold, Greed & Genocide”). After The Gold Rush, there were only up to 30,000 Native Americans left (“California Indian History”). This meant during the duration of The Gold Rush 80% of the Native population in California was wiped

California’s favorable climate was good for producing fruits, vegetables, and grains (“Historical Impact of the California Gold Rush”). As a result, the agricultural industry grew tremendously over the years (“Historical Impact of the California Gold Rush”).

During the Gold Rush, the demand for wood grew higher as the influx of people needed housing and the building of railroads, churches, and banks also needed wood (“Historical Impact of the California Gold Rush”). That would result in the expansion of the timber industry (“Historical Impact of the California Gold Rush”). The timber industry was among the most profitable industries during The Gold Rush (“Historical Impact of the California Gold Rush”). As time passed, cutting down trees destroyed forests (“Historical Impact of the California Gold Rush”).

The discovery of gold in California started The Gold Rush. This led to the establishment of boomtowns and the expansion of industries such as agriculture, timber, and the manufacturing of items due to the influx of people. Many people were affected by The Gold Rush as well. Native Americans died because of diseases brought by the Europeans and murder. Many aspects of California's history, both good and bad, were affected by The Gold