Brianna Campbell Campbell 1
5/10/23
The California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush was an essential event in American History that not only
impacted California, but the nation as a whole. It began in January of 1848 with the discovery of
gold at Sutter?s Mill by James Marshall. This discovery attracted tens of thousands of new
settlers from across the country to move west in hopes of finding fortune. It turned California
into a town almost overnight. This essay will delve into the development and the historical
background of the gold rush as well as the downfall.
Prior to the gold rush, America was experiencing major changes in its economy and its
territorial expansion. California was under control by the Mexican government prior
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The creation of mines for gold, also meant there was an increase in the demand for
lumber to fuel the boilers and build the developing towns and cities popping up across the
state.?This demand led to large scale logging and contributed to deforestation. Mining requires
water, so dams were built that changed the course of rivers. Hydraulic mining washed sediment
into riverbeds and lakes, threatening agriculture development,? (California State Library).
Mercury was also used in the mining process, which led to contamination in water and fish that
California still deals with today. These things need to be learned because people need to realize
the mistakes of the past, so hopefully they aren?t made again.
In conclusion, the California Gold Rush was a transformative event for the state and the
nation as a whole. The rush of prospectors and immigrants in 1848-1855 helped rapidly develop
cities and towns, forming a whole new society with its own government and a booming economy
of its own. The positive economic boom as well as the damaging effects to Native Americans
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and the detrimental environmental impact of the gold rush should be studied so we can gain
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