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Kids learn about the California Gold Rush from the Old West. Thousands of people move to the west to search for gold and strike it rich.

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Gold

Major gold rushes took place around the globe in the 18th century, particularly in the United States during the period between 1850 and 1880. While mining gold itself proved unprofitable for mine-owners and diggers, some individuals made significant fortunes in this era while transportation facilities and merchants earned large profits.

Gold Rush Facts for Kids

Miners discovered over 700,000 pounds of gold in the California Gold Rush.

From 1848 to 1849, the Californian population grew by over 100,000.

White miners subjected Latin American and Chinese immigrants to violent and racial attacks

Samuel Brannan was the wealthiest man during the California Gold Rush. He was a shopkeeper who also worked as a promoter and a newspaper publisher.

The lack of law enforcement, sanitation, and housing in the mining camps and its surrounding parts resulted in higher crime rates.

Many immigrants did not make it to California in the Gold Rush. Most of them died because of fever, cholera, accidents, and a myriad of other causes.

By 1850, the non-native population of California grew to 100,000, which was 80,000 more than in 1848.

Gold mining towns all over the region opened brothels, saloons, and shops to accommodate the needs of the 49ers.

Scholars revealed that merchants made more money than diggers during the California Gold Rush.

More often than not, gold rushes were usually marked by a general floating emotion of a free-for-all in profit mobility wherein everyone can become wealthy instantly. These gold rushes generated waves of immigrants, which typically led to a permanent settlement of new regions. In most cases, the activities propelled by gold rushes characterize massive aspects of the North American frontiers.

Perhaps one of the most popular gold rushes during this period was The California Gold Rush, which initially started on January 24, 1848, and flourished until 1855. The California Gold Rush was mainly attributed to the discovery of gold by James W. Marshall in Sutter's Mill along the mountains of Coloma in California.

The 49ers

Interestingly, the news of gold led to approximately 300,000 individuals, also known as the forty-niners (49ers), moving to California from abroad and the rest of the United States. The immediate influx of gold into the money supply spurred the American economy, which also resulted in the sudden population increase that enabled California to become a state.

According to historians, a total of $2 billion worth of precious metal was discovered during the peak of the Gold Rush. Prospectors came not only from Southern and Eastern United States but from Australia, Europe, Latin America, and Asia.

Significant improvements in railroad and steamship technology facilitated this move, which dramatically changed the demographics of the state of California. Gold rushes in America also saw substantial effects, especially for indigenous societies who were attacked and forced to leave their lands by the 49ers.

Did immigrants find wealth?

While gold-tined visions of luxury and natural wealth motivated migration, the lives of a 49er were brutal. Though a few immigrants became wealthy, panning for gold rarely resulted in anything of actual value, and the job itself was time-consuming and injury-ridden.

After 1855, the surface gold in California was significantly gone despite the continued arrival of mining. As gold becomes increasingly more difficult to mine, the rising industrialization of mining drove more miners from the idea of living in luxury into wage labor. While new techniques like hydraulic mining were developed, it destroyed much of the landscape of the region.

What is more, is that gold mining became more complex as panning could only turn up whatever gold stored in silt deposits. Individual diggers eventually could not keep up with the technological sophistication and the kinds of resources of the top mining companies, which resulted in them ultimately giving up and turning to the logging industry.

Who was the richest man in California during the Gold Rush?
Samuel Brannan was the richest man in California during the Gold Rush.

What was the non-native population of California in 1850?
The non-native population of California in 1850 was 100,000.

When did the California Gold Rush start?
The California Gold Rush started on January 24, 1848.

Why did many immigrants fail to reach America during the Gold Rush?
Many immigrants were unable to reach America during the Gold Rush because of cholera, fever, and accidents.

How many pounds of gold did the miners extract in the Gold Rush?
Miners extracted more than 700,000 pounds of gold during this period.

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California Gold Rush Major gold rushes took place around the globe in the 18th century, particularly in the United States during the period between 1850 and 1880. While mining gold itself proved unprofitable for mine-owners and diggers, some individuals made significant fortunes in this era while transportation facilities and merchants earned large profits.

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The California Gold Rush cartoon 1849 (The Wild West)

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The Gold Rush provided hope to people around the world to come to the United States and obtain immense wealth. The physical labor was difficult, and as a result many had significant injuries, and many even died from diseases or mining accidents. During the gold rush a bout 750,000 pounds of gold was extracted during this time.

Nicknamed the "forty-niners" the men who went into work everyday facing significant danger, but also faced danger in the camps they were staying in.A typical day for a miner would include panning for gold from dawn until dusk, backbreaking labor with very few breaks as miners knew that if they stopped they might miss their chance at wealth. The life of a "49er" was not nearly as glorious as many hoped it would be. Although to start many miners were working for themselves but as the gold started disappearing and it required machinery to extract the gold many miners started working for mining corporations instead of mining for themselves. The majority of those who had put everything on the line in hopes of striking gold were left with nothing. Although many set out for fortune few were successful.

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The Gold Rush provided hope to people around the world to come to the United States and obtain immense wealth. The physical labor was difficult, and as a result many had significant injuries, and many even died from diseases or mining accidents. During the gold rush a bout 750,000 pounds of gold was extracted during this time.

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Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (digital file no. 3a39173)

(1830-85). Widely recognized for her poetry, which drew the praise of Ralph Waldo Emerson, and essays, Helen Hunt Jackson was best known for her novel Ramona, which dramatized the plight of Native Americans in the hope of provoking social action.

She was born Helen Maria Fiske on Oct. 18, 1830, in Amherst, Mass. Her father, Nathan Fiske, taught Latin, Greek, and philosophy at Amherst College. In 1844, following her mother's death from tuberculosis, Helen and her younger sister were cared for by relatives. Professor Fiske died of the same disease not long afterward. Helen was educated at various private schools, including the Ipswich Female Academy in Massachusetts. One of her schoolmates at Ipswich was the poet Emily Dickinson, who was to become a lifelong friend.

In 1851 Helen met Lieutenant Edward Hunt, an army engineer with the Coast Survey Department. The couple was married the following year, but their life together was marked by tragedy. Their first baby died in infancy. In 1863 Hunt himself was killed in an accident; his death was followed in 1865 by that of their only surviving child.

Out of these tragedies came the poems of grief that were Helen Hunt's first published works. Her literary strivings received the encouragement of editor and essayist Thomas Wentworth Higginson. Under his direction, sketches she mailed home from Europe in 1868-72 were published in various periodicals. A book, Verses, appeared in 1870, followed by Bits of Travel (1872) and Bits of Talk About Home Matters (1873).

In 1872 she traveled to the West for health reasons and the following year met William S. Jackson, a wealthy Colorado banker. They were married in 1875 and settled in his hometown of Colorado Springs. Her first novel, Mercy Philbrick's Choice, appeared in 1876; the heroine of this widely read work supposedly resembled Emily Dickinson. Other novels followed.

In about 1879 she began to be aware of the problems of Native American tribes and the injustices done them by the United States government. This concern stimulated her to produce A Century of Dishonor (1881), a meticulously researched exposé of the federal government's conduct of Native American affairs. Copies of the report were sent at her own expense to everyone in government concerned with Native American affairs. As a result, she was appointed by the Interior Department to investigate the West Coast Mission nation and write another report. Lack of governmental response to the second report (1883) convinced her that a fictional account of the Native American situation would arouse public opinion as Uncle Tom's Cabin had done concerning the issue of slavery. The resulting novel, Ramona, was a huge popular success and was admired as a picturesque representation of life in old California. Jackson died on Aug. 12, 1885, in San Francisco.

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(1830-85). Widely recognized for her poetry, which drew the praise of Ralph Waldo Emerson, and essays, Helen Hunt Jackson was best known for her novel Ramona, which dramatized the plight of Native Americans in the hope of provoking social action. She was born Helen Maria Fiske on Oct.

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Mary Tape (1857-1934) was a desegregation activist. Tape fought for equal education. She wanted Chinese American students to study at schools with white students.

Mary Tape was born in China. In 1868, Tape came to San Francisco. She was an orphan. The Ladies' Protection and Relief Society helped her. She named herself "Mary McGladery." The Society taught her the English language and how to live in the United States. She married Joseph Tape. They had four children. Tape taught her children to act like white Americans.

Tape and her family lived in the city of San Francisco, California, USA. She wanted her oldest child to study at the public school. The school said only white children could be students. It would not accept Chinese American students. Tape took the school to court. She fought for equal education. The Tape family lost in court. The children went to special Chinese American schools. Later, the family moved to Berkeley, California where they had more rights.

Tape was also known for having a middle-class family that acted more stereotypically American than other Chinese-American families at the time. She changed the way that many people thought of Chinese-American families at the time, and opened a gateway for people of her race to be more accepted in their society. She also earned awards for her photography and was a skillful telegrapher. Mary Tape died of old age in 1934, five months before husband.

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Mary Tape (1857-1934) was a desegregation activist. Tape fought for equal education. She wanted Chinese American students to study at schools with white students. Mary Tape was born in China. In 1868, Tape came to San Francisco. She was an orphan. The Ladies' Protection and Relief Society helped her.

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Bridget was born enslaved in 1818. She did not have a last name, but she went by the nickname of Biddy for most of her life. Not much is known about her early life. It is believed that she was separated from her mother shortly after birth and was raised by older women. They probably taught her about the healing power of plants and how to deliver babies.

In 1848 Biddy's owner, Robert Marion Smith, wanted to move from Mississippi to Utah after he converted to Mormonism. Biddy and other enslaved people walked 1,700 miles (2,736 kilometers) behind the 300-wagon caravan. During the trip she took care of the animals, cooked the meals, and delivered babies. A few years later, in 1851, Smith decided to help establish a Mormon community in San Bernardino, California. Biddy learned that slavery was illegal in California and was encouraged by other Blacks in the state to sue for her freedom. Once she learned that Smith planned to move to Texas (where slavery was legal) some of her friends told the police. The police stopped Smith from leaving California. Biddy then asked the court to give her and her family their freedom. The courts agreed, and she took the last name of Mason.

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Bridget was born enslaved in 1818. She did not have a last name, but she went by the nickname of Biddy for most of her life. Not much is known about her early life. It is believed that she was separated from her mother shortly after birth and was raised by older women.

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Youtube: How did women impact the Gold Rush? 

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Youtube: How did women impact the Gold Rush? 

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A boomtown is a place that has very quick population and economic growth. Boomtowns are usually mining towns where an important mineral resource such as gold, silver, or petroleum has been found. The word can also be used for places that grow for other reasons. This can be the town being near a major city, in a nice climate or near a popular attraction.

Images for kids

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A boomtown is a place that has very quick population and economic growth. Boomtowns are usually mining towns where an important mineral resource such as gold, silver, or petroleum has been found. The word can also be used for places that grow for other reasons.

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Kids learn about the California Gold Rush from the Old West. Thousands of people move to the west to search for gold and strike it rich.

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California Mining Towns

California Mining History

The California Gold Rush (1848-1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was discovered by James Wilson Marshall at Sutter's Mill, in Coloma, California. News of the discovery soon spread, resulting in some 300,000 men, women, and children coming to California from the rest of the United States and abroad. Of the 300,000, approximately 150,000 arrived by sea while the remaining 150,000 arrived by land.

These early gold-seekers, called "forty-niners," (as a reference to 1849) traveled to California by sailing boat and in covered wagons across the continent, often facing substantial hardships on the trip.

While most of the newly-arrived were Americans, the Gold Rush attracted tens of thousands from Latin America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. At first, the prospectors retrieved the gold from streams and riverbeds using simple techniques, such as panning. More sophisticated methods of gold recovery developed which were later adopted around the world.

At its peak, technological advances reached a point where significant financing was required - increasing the proportion of corporate to individual miners. Gold, worth billions of today's dollars, was recovered, which led to great wealth for a few. However, many returned home with little more than they started with.

The effects of the Gold Rush were substantial. San Francisco grew from a small settlement to a boomtown, and roads, churches, schools and other towns were built throughout California. A system of laws and a government were created, leading to the admission of California as a free state in 1850 as part of the Compromise of 1850.

California Mining History

The California Gold Rush (1848-1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was discovered by James Wilson Marshall at Sutter's Mill, in Coloma, California. News of the discovery soon spread, resulting in some 300,000 men, women, and children coming to California from the rest of the United States and abroad. Of the 300,000, approximately 150,000 arrived by sea while the remaining 150,000 arrived by land.

These early gold-seekers, called "forty-niners," (as a reference to 1849) traveled to California by sailing boat and in covered wagons across the continent, often facing substantial hardships on the trip.

While most of the newly-arrived were Americans, the Gold Rush attracted tens of thousands from Latin America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. At first, the prospectors retrieved the gold from streams and riverbeds using simple techniques, such as panning. More sophisticated methods of gold recovery developed which were later adopted around the world.

At its peak, technological advances reached a point where significant financing was required - increasing the proportion of corporate to individual miners. Gold, worth billions of today's dollars, was recovered, which led to great wealth for a few. However, many returned home with little more than they started with.

The effects of the Gold Rush were substantial. San Francisco grew from a small settlement to a boomtown, and roads, churches, schools and other towns were built throughout California. A system of laws and a government were created, leading to the admission of California as a free state in 1850 as part of the Compromise of 1850.

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California Mining Towns The California Gold Rush (1848-1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was discovered by James Wilson Marshall at Sutter's Mill, in Coloma, California. News of the discovery soon spread, resulting in some 300,000 men, women, and children coming to California from the rest of the United States and abroad.

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Hidden Adventures: The historic gold rush town of Columbia

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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under.

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online access fun thousands children great kids ebooks books

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Built on a collection of 40,000+ popular, high-quality books from 250+ of the world's best publishers, Epic safely fuels curiosity and reading confidence for kids 12 and under. Get Started