California Gold Rush
During the California Gold Rush from 1848 to 1854, thousands sought their fortune as a gold rush in California. From the California gold rush is also the official nickname of California Golden State derives.
Expiration
In January 1848, James W. Marshall discovered at Sutter 's Mill, the site for a sawmill on the ranch New Helvetia the Swiss Johann August Sutter, the first gold nugget. Because the workers of the ranch, despite the corresponding instruction Sutter Fund to spill the beans, the first man from California soon thronged to the gold fields. The press in San Francisco, reported in March 1848 and the New York Herald until 19 August, the gold discoveries. A gold rush to develop.
The large currents settlers developed the Gold Rush after an address by President James K. Polk to Congress in December 1848. Polk took the gold discoveries to justify the 1846/47 run Mexican-American War to California. Thus, the discovery of gold in California was officially confirmed.
As a result, covered in the next few years hundreds of thousands of people to California to seek their fortune. Between January 1848 and December 1849 San Francisco grew from 1,000 to 25,000 inhabitants. The migration to other parts of the country had partly a profound impact on the local businesses: A Californian newspaper had to cease publication because they had no more workers, dozens of ships remained off San Francisco are, as the sailors pulled immediately upon arrival to the gold fields.
Only a few gold diggers were really rich, but most do not and those who actually found gold, it often playful or had to pay exorbitant prices for basic goods. So in 1849 cost an egg a dollar, old newspapers could be sold for $ 10 apiece and money was lent at an interest rate of five percent per week. Traders and merchants, therefore, were among the winners of the Gold Rush, for example, Levi Strauss.
The uncontrolled influx of people also caused major problems: From 1849 to 1851 burned San Francisco six times. The hygienic conditions were catastrophic, fleas and rats spread. In winter 1851, a cholera epidemic broke out.
At the beginning of the Spanish mission, the Indian population of California was estimated to be about 310,000. At the end of the Mexican period, before the Gold Rush, lived only about 150,000 Indians in the area of the later state. By 1870, only 31,000 remained. In contrast, the development was at the European-descended residents: For 1850, the U.S. administration registered a total population of California of approximately 92,000, which by 1870 rose to approximately 560,000 inhabitants. About 60 percent of the Indians had died from diseases that prospectors had brought. Countless Indians have been displaced and massacred by their country. On scalps of Indians premiums were exposed, sold children of Indians as slaves. In the recovery of gold mercury were released over 7,000 tons, the rivers and lakes poisoned.
By its wealth and because of its strong growth in population California was on September 9, 1850 recorded as 31st state in the Union (USA).
As of 1854, the gold mining industry was operated on a large scale, so that the time of the private gold mining was over.
Neither Sutter nor Marshall were able to benefit from Gold: Marshall died penniless, Sutter lost most of his vast possessions, who had once includes large parts of California.