The California Gold Rush And Beyond

ASU HST 200 (Historical Themes) Westward Expansion, 1840-1900 The California Gold Rush And Beyond People have long been drawn to gold, and the prospect of easy money was no different in the American West. The potential afforded by the gold rush was very different from the plodding struggle endured by pioneering farmers. The finding of gold at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California, initiated a series of similar hits that continued for the following ten years, culminating in what became known as the California Gold Rush. A new discovery location would often see an abrupt, chaotic rush of prospectors, followed by the entrance of others hoping to profit from the strike by taking advantage of the newly wealthy. The second set of camp followers arrived in droves and consisted of saloonkeepers, prostitutes, store owners, and criminals. If the strike was large-scale, a sizable settlement may form, and the vigilante justice that usually developed in the tiny, transient mining outposts might give way to some sort of law and order. Some academics believe that the large number of Native Americans that perished in California as a result of these immigrants' arrival amounted to a genocide. Individual prospectors known as "panning" or "sluice boxing" streams to extract gold from the soil and pebbles were the first Forty-Niners (Figure 17.9). During the next twenty years, Colorado and Nevada saw variations of the original California Gold Rush. Fur trapper Henry T. P. Comstock, a Canadian, started mining for gold in Nevada in 1859 alongside other prospectors. However, he soon discovered a blue vein, which turned out to be the country's first important silver find. Shafts that extended hundreds of feet into the mountain produced more than $300 million in profits within the course of twenty years, known as the Comstock Lode. Copper was the result of later mining in Arizona and Montana. Although it didn't have the same allure as gold, the people who exploited these resources made enormous fortunes, especially when copper wiring for telegraph and power distribution was developed. However, individual searches for precious metals were less fruitful during the 1860s and 1870s. After the easiest fruit had been harvested, mining shafts that could reach the remaining ore needed to be dug, which required equipment and capital expenditures. Miners required a greater strike in order to succeed because of their considerably higher investment. Larger companies began to finance mining activities as a result of this change, which ultimately resulted in the growth of more stable and well-developed urban infrastructure. Several communities, like Denver, Colorado, were turned into permanent settlements as companies looked for a solid basis in which to establish their mining operations. This was not a favorable development for miners who were not yet affluent. They were now compensated for working underground in extremely hazardous conditions with a daily or weekly pay. They were employed in shafts where temperatures may reach over 100 degrees Fahrenheit and where inadequate ventilation could cause lung damage over time. They had to deal with dynamite blasts, shaft fires, and regular cave-ins. Approximately 8,000 miners are said to have perished on the border at this time, and over 3,000 more are said to have had life-threatening injuries. Although some miners formed unions and launched strikes in demand of improved working conditions, state militias often put an end to these initiatives. As the mineral eventually ran out, the majority of mining communities became abandoned. Traveling around the American West even today reveals abandoned stores and saloons where people once stood before moving on to their next opportunity at financial success. The goal of the US government to impose law and order in the "Wild West" in order to more effectively exploit natural resources and promote steady growth in the area was the genuine long-lasting effect of the early mining operations. As more Americans relocated to the area in search of long-term residency rather than transient, risky endeavors, they also wanted the security and assistance that came with governmental order. Following Nevada's 1864 admission to the Union, Colorado joined in 1876, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Washington in 1889; Idaho and Wyoming joined in 1890.