Gold in Science

Gold

Gold throughout

History Gold has been

valuable throughout history because of its rarity and beauty.

It is relatively easy to shape it into different items.

California before

1849 California was

populated mostly by Native Americans and Californios, settlers of Spanish or Mexican descent.

Mariano Vallejo, was a wealthy member of one of the older Spanish families in America.

Americans of Note

John Sutter – A Swiss immigrant who bought 50,000 acres of Sacramento Valley.

James Marshall – Hired by Sutter to build a Sawmill in 1848.

“My eye was caught by a

glimpse of something shining….I reached my hand down and picked it up: it made my heart thump for I felt certain it was gold.” -James Marshall

Gold Discovery

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxekRM5-uMU

Gold Fever

News spread rapidly to the eastern seaboard.

A year after gold was declared to be found, thousands of gold seekers began the long journey West to reach California.

How would the Miners get there?

Three main routes: Overland Through the

Panama Isthmus Around Cape Horn

Trails West

What would they need for the

overland journey?

Types of supplies? Food Clothing

What would you bring on a 6 month journey?

The Miners

Miners were usually young men trying to find their fortunes.

The hard labor made it difficult for older men to perform the back breaking labor needed to dig for gold.

Only 2/3rds are actually American.

Foreign Miners

Miners came from mostly South America, Europe, Australia, and China.

Many Chinese had left their homeland because of massive crop failures.

-Where else will this happen?

Conflicts

As gold became harder to find, American miners began to resent the foreign presence.

Angry miners began to drive out the Chinese in hope of claiming their gold sites.

Miner Camps

Life in the camp was rough and dangerous.

“There were mining accidents, murders, whippings, and even duels.” -Louise Clappe, a

woman who lived in the region.

Greed, prejudice, and jealousy.

Mining Gold

ShovelPan

Sluice System

End of the Rush, what are the

Impacts?

By 1852, the Gold Rush was largely over, but around 250,000 people had flooded into California.

The huge influx of people changed California’s economy forever. San Francisco in 1850

California becomes a State

Remember the Californios?

Americans largely ignored the rights of California’s previous inhabitants.

Even successful Californios had much, if not all, of their property seized.

Problems

Key Terms

Forty-Niner Californio Mariano Vallejo John Sutter James Marshall California Gold

Rush