California Gold Rush Research Paper

The California Gold Rush of 1849:

A Turning Point in the Formation of the West

Emelia De Smet-Bacon

Historical Paper

Senior Division

1682 Words

The encounter with gold in California boosted westward expansion and was the foundation for a brand new city. In 1849, gold was first discovered at Sutter’s Mill. Days later, news of the discovery spread to the people of the United States, thus launching the California Gold Rush. The gold rush produced an abundance of new destination cities, the largest being San Francisco which socially, physically, and economically grew. Socially, the male dominated gold rush propelled immigration into the United States, specifically Northern California. The dreams of striking gold spread throughout

Men and women played very different roles during this time period. Most women stayed in the cities and worked in hotels, brothels, and restaurants that popped up. Men, on the other hand, worked in the precarious mines. “By 1852, 92 percent of the people prospecting for gold were men” (Olson-Raymer 1). Not only was the absence of women due to the danger that came behind gold mining but also the physical demands it took. Not all women had to work, one woman, Mrs. F.A. Van Winkle of Colusa tells the story of her life in San Francisco before the gold rush. “At first we thought California would be a great stock country, a fine place for farming, an elegant climate to live on, but no one had any idea then that there was gold here” (Van Winkle 1). Mrs. Van Winkle is a prime example of how most of the original inhabitants of the San Francisco Bay Area were wealthy families who traveled to the west before the discovery of gold, claiming all the land for themselves. In addition to the original people who descended onto the Bay Area, the gold miners and the immigrants created a melting pot of many

Hydraulic mining was one of the most commonly used mining techniques, after panning began producing nothing. Hydraulic mining uses a highly pressurized water canon to erode the gold deposits that were found in mountainsides. “These sedimentary deposits were ancient stream beds that contained gold in placer deposits much like modern streams did” (Romans 1). Disturbing these ancient stream beds caused an avalanche of environmental problems. Not only carving the local landscapes, hydraulic mining affected the San Francisco Bay. The gravel and other rock rubble traveled down rivers that led to the bay, throwing off the balance between the silt. All the excess silt made agriculture difficult to maintain. Another environmental issue that arose from the gold rush era was the use of mercury, “ ‘It also involved, in many cases, using mercury in the process of separating the gold out.’ ” (Thornton, Rohrbough 4). Agriculture is a major demand when a civilization expands rapidly and due to the use of mercury for gold extraction, the soil was ruined. The ruined soil caused future generations to have to import their food. The importation formed the San Francisco Bay into a major harbor, further expanding the