|
Panning for gold. They
gathered dirt from the
river bed and washed away the
lighter grains
until hopefully finding gold.
This is sometimes
called gold prospecting. |
By the end of the year there were over
10,000 men digging for gold.
In 1849 there was so many people
heading west, either overland, or usually by sea, that they were
called the 'forty-niners'.
Most people never found any gold - the
main areas had been claimed. The mining camps were rough, wild
places. Most people tried panning for gold but the large gold
reserves were deep underground, and only the rich could afford
deep mines.
Many Cornish professional miners moved
in to dig deep, and these were backed financially by banks and
businesses in the east. They founded mining towns such as
Humboldt, Virginia City and Bannack. |
|
Bad
Racial violence - the
gold rush attracted people from across the world - Europe, China,
Mexico, black Americans and Indians.
The mining towns saw terrible
racial riots. The local Indians were nearly wiped out too.
Poor quality of life -
most people had to live in dirty tents or cabins. Fever and
cholera killed many people.
Law and order -
gambling, drinking and prostitution were rife. Many were murdered
as claims were stolen (claim-jumping). There were no courts or
police to prevent crime.
Vigilantes - miners set
up their own courts to deal with crime or disputes. Vigilante
groups often lynched people and operated above the law. Sometimes
even the sheriffs were criminals, like Henry Plummer of Bannack.
Good
1848 was a huge turning
point - new areas of settlement were growing.
San Francisco went from
a sleepy village to a major city-port, rivalling New York.
Other industries grew
like ship-building, construction and later, railroads.
It made the USA a world
trader, and California became a rich state, forcing the east
to forge links west.
|
A romantic view of the
Gold Rush by
Rosenberg.
James Marshall
"I reached my hand down and
picked it up; it made my heart thump, for I was certain it was
gold. The piece was about half the size and shape of a pea. Then I
saw another."
Women gold panners |
The Klondike, 1898
More gold rushes followed the
1848 California one:
1858 - Pikes Peak, Colorado
1860 - Idaho (inc silver)
1862 - Montana
1863 - Arizona
1874 - Dakota.
This last one was to bring the
US government and the Indians to a full scale war.
A Chinese gold miner
'Judge Lynch' by Stanley
Berkeley - a vigilante mob in action |
