The Impact Of Gold Rush History In Eldorado Country

Posted by Miley Munroe on February 6th, 2019

The Gold Rush - arguably one of the most notable events that impacted American history during the first half of the 19th century- was the name given to the chaos that had never been witnessed by anyone till it happened in 1848. Sparked by the discovery of gold nuggets by James W. Marshall at Sutter’s Mill, it brought uninvited attention of people from all around the globe.

Though Marshall, the man who discovered the gold, and his partner Sutter tried their best to keep their find hidden from the general public, the news, somehow, got leaked and spread like a fire in the jungle, creating the famous rush.

As the news of the gold discovery spread, thousands of gold diggers and miners from all the four corners of the world stampeded into California, hoping to find their true fortune. They traveled through the sea, strode over the land for days and tried every other means possible to enter San Francisco and the surrounding area.

The rush was to such a great extent that by the end of 1849, the population of non-natives in California state was way higher than it was in the pre-1848 era. As more and more people traveled to California in pursuit of gold during that era, the worth of precious metal extracted from the area continued to rise and reached billion, which later peaked in 1852.

As the time passed and people’s greed took its toll, all the deposits of the area were exhausted and businesslike operations replaced the efforts of individuals. Later, people were given way to establish permanent settlements under an organized government in and around the area. By the end of the decade, and as the gold got completely exhausted, those settlements become ghost towns, which are still famous attractions for travelers and tourists alike.

The Gold Rush, or famously known as California Gold Rush, left a profound impact on the state and completely changed its demographics, which can easily be observed from the rise in its population from 160,000 in 1848 to 380,000 by the end of the Gold Rush.

The history of Gold Rush has led to a plethora of historic and picturesque towns that still exist and retain their early architecture and charm. They are easily reachable by California Highway 49, and the Gold Rush Trail and tourists and travelers enjoy their visit to historic hotels and 19th-century saloons, stagecoach rides, and places to pan for gold and keep the nuggets.

Author’s bio: The author is a blogger and this article is about the gold rush history