The California Gold Rush

1. THE CALIFORNIA GOLD
RUSH
Another reason for White settlers in
the USA to move West

2. GOLD!!
In January 1848 a
group of men building
a sawmill in the Sierra
foothills discovered
gold
The men finished the
sawmill and started to
mine for gold

3. WORD SPREADS
San Francisco was the
first place to hear of
the discovery
Word was spread
elsewhere by word of
mouth, newspapers
and guidebooks
Thousands travelled to
make their fortune

4. THOUSANDS MADE THE
JOURNEY
People travelled from
all over America
Some came by boat
from New York or
Boston
Others came overland
in wagons
All had a hard journey

5. THE IMPACT OF ‘GOLD FEVER’
“Overnight carpenters dropped their
hammers, masons their trowels, bakers their
loaves, clerks their pens, to rush to the
diggings. Schools were closed as both
teachers and pupils deserted; shopkeepers
hung signs on their doors – ‘Gone to the
Diggings’ – and disappeared. By June 15
San Francisco was a ghost town.”

6. BUT…
By the time most people arrived the best of
the gold had gone
Most worked for whole day, doing back-
breaking work for less than $5 a day
Many didn’t even arrive – 5,000 died on the
journey – many from cholera

7. HOW DID THEY GET THE
GOLD?
Many didn’t have a
clue about mining
People scraped gold
from the stream beds
with spoons or knives
Others ‘panned’ for
gold in wet streams –
the gold’s weight
keeping it in the pan

8. LIFE IN THE MINING TOWNS
Shacks made from blankets and wooden
frames
Disease was common
Hours were long, work was hard
Saloons, gambling and prostitution offered
solace for some…

9. THE ‘FORTY-NINERS’

10. THE END?
By 1852 the surface gold had gone
Many miners returned home
Those who stayed began to set up
permanent towns
Big business began to move in
Families arrived

11. WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
“Where these communities survived, the
railroad, the telegraph and the stage-coach
followed. In this way the discovery of gold
made an important contribution to the
settling of the West.”