Kate Shoup - The California Gold Rush

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Shoup, Kate, 1972- author.
The California gold rush / Kate Shoup.
pages cm. (Expanding America)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-5026-0968-7 (hardcover) ISBN 978-1-5026-0969-4 (ebook)
1. CaliforniaGold discoveriesJuvenile literature. 2. CaliforniaHistory1846-1850Juvenile literature. 3. Gold minersCaliforniaHistory19th centuryJuvenile literature. 4. Frontier and pioneer lifeCaliforniaJuvenile literature. I. Title.

F865.S5515 2016 979.4'04dc23

2015034508

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Printed in the United States of America

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

T he California Gold Rush marked a turning point in American history. In the words of historian H. W. Brands, the discovery of gold in California was, "a seminal event in history, one of those rare moments that divide human existence into before and after." It would have an enormous effect on the prospectors who searched for gold, the region of California, the United States as a whole, and the entire world.

In 2014, California boasted a population of over 38 millionmore than any other state in the Union. But this was not always the case. When California became annexed by the United States in 1848, fewer than 12,000 settlers of white or Mexican descent lived in the area. The Native American population is unknown, but is estimated to have been about 150,000.

What caused this population explosion? No doubt there were many factors. But clearly the California Gold Rush, which lasted from 1848 until 1855, played a significant role. All told, some three hundred thousand people migrated to California during this period, laying the foundation for further growth in the years to come.

Before the annexation of California in 1848, the Native American population in the area was much higher.

The California Gold Rush did more than launch, in Brands's words, "the most astonishing mass movement of people since the Crusades." The discovery of gold in the Sierra Nevada mountain range helped to "initiate the modern era of American economic development." Thanks to the Gold Rush, and the ensuing shift in population, new markets opened up in the United States and abroad. And of course, more gold meant more wealth, which in turn spurred trade and investments.

There was a less-tangible effect, too. Before, as noted by Brand, the American dream was "the dream of the Puritans ... of men and women content to accumulate their modest fortunes a little at a time, year by year by year." But the California Gold Rush changed all that. As a result of discovering gold, "The new dream was the dream of instant wealth, won in a twinkling by audacity and good luck." In this way, the Gold Rush was a great equalizer. Especially in the early years of the California Gold Rush, any person with a pan and a pick could dig for gold. Anyone could strike it rich! This new sense of economic mobility would soon permeate American culture.

A lthough the California Gold Rush did not begin until 1848, the hunt for gold had long been a part of the region's history. Indeed, it was the search for gold that led the first European explorers to the area. These men were following stories of a province called Cibola. Rumored to exist far to the northwest, Cibola was believed to abound with gold and other valuable minerals.