Gold rush in California and Colorado

Introduction

Gold is the only precious metal that has fascinated man from time immemorial in its raw state. Repeatedly, there have been rumors of fabled cities or countries in which you needed to lift the gold only. The emergence of a gold rush is directly dependent on the spread of information and the transport of people and goods. Therefore, this phenomenon took place at a time when there were already steamships, railroads, and telegraphs. Through major restructuring, through the mechanization of industry and agriculture, many people lost their livelihood and were forced to emigrate. This fate-driven people, formed the basis of the gold rush. Many of them died already on the way to the gold fields, which was often very difficult and dangerous.

The California Gold Rush originated in 1848 and continued until 1854, reaching its peak in 1849. In those years, thousands of people tried their luck as prospectors in California. In early 1848, a farm worker “New Helvetia”, owned by Johann August Sutter, found the first gold nugget. The location where he found it was a site on the ranch where he was building sawmill. The name of the lucky who made such a finding was James W. Marshall. After this event, all employees of Sutter received strict instructions not to disclose this finding. However, it leaked soon which attracted the California gold miners to the ranch. On August 19, 1848, the New York Herald first reported on the occurrence of gold in California. Colorado Territory at the foot of the Rocky Mountains became a place of exploration of gold almost exactly 10 years after the outbreak of gold rush in California. This paper presents a comparison and contrast between gold rush in California and Colorado.

Discussion

Gold rush in California

President James confirmed the discovery of gold in California officially while addressing Congress in December 1848. Consequently, in the following years saw the influx of newcomers. The Gold Rush represented the transfer of several thousands of people in search of fortune and wealth to California. The city of San Francisco grew from 1,000 people in January 1848 to have 25,000 in 1849. However, in other parts of the country the mass exodus brought serious consequences for businesses, as work force suddenly lacked. Even a Californian newspaper had to close for not having a single worker in it. Some incoming ships could not sail back to San Francisco, then to a port arrival sailors fled to the goldfields.

For many prospectors, the coveted wealth remained however in a dream, only a few were rich. Those who actually found gold often turned out to be the losers of the game and had to pay very high prices for basic goods and services. Vendors and traders related to the gold diggers were actually winners California Gold Rush. The other unprecedented immigration prospectors also brought big problems. Between 1848 and 1851, the city of San Francisco was destroyed by fire on six occasions. Overcrowding led to an unhealthy situation such that ...