加州淘金热调查课题gold.doc

How it Started?Top of PageSutters Fort(Source: Library of Congress)John Sutter was a Swiss emigrant who arrived in California in 1839. He became a Mexican citizen and received a land grant of 50,000 acres in Sacramento Valley. He built Sutters Fort at the site of present day Sacramento. At Sutters Fort he developed farming and other businesses. Sutters Fort became a rest station for travelers and immigrants to California. Above right is a picture of Sutters Fort at the time of the Gold Rush.In 1847 John Sutter hired James Marshall to build a sawmill at a site named Coloma. At the right, below, is a picture of the Mill at Coloma.Sutters Mill(Source: Library of Congress)On January 4, 1848, James Marshall picked up a piece of metal at the mill that looked like gold. He took the metal to Sutter. They tested it and confirmed that it was gold. Sutter was afraid that the discovery of gold would take his workers away from the fields. He was also concerned that gold would bring prospectors onto his land. He asked Marshall and the others working at the mill to keep the gold a secret.But word got out! By late 1848, word had spread across the country. On December 5, 1848, President James Polk speaking to Congress confirmed accounts of gold. The discovery of gold in California became national news.The California Gold Rush was the largest migration of people to California, and started California on the road to what it is today.On this Page: Rush for Gold Books on the California Gold Rush Links to other Sites on the California Gold RushRush for GoldTop of PageBy 1849 the gold rush was on. People from all over the United States and the World were rushing to California. People caught Gold Fever in the hope of striking it rich. Many gold seekers arrived expecting to find rivers overflowing with gold. Unfortunately, most found riverbanks crowded with miners. Most prospectors were previously storekeepers, cooks, carpenters, teachers, farmers or some other trade before heading to California in search of gold. By 1850, the mining country had become quite populated. Many of the immigrants ended up started businesses, trading posts, importing goods to seel to miners, farming and ranching. They took advantage of the skills they brought with them.In the mid-1850s gold was becoming very difficult to find. More people were making fortunes from selling supplies to miners, than the miners themselves.When silver was discovered in Nevada in 1859, the miners headed for Nevada. This ended the California Gold Rush.By Wagon!Top of PageCalifornia Gold Rush wagon train(Source: Library of Congress)Many people came to California by covered wagon. This was a long, difficult journey. Travelers needed to travel across difficult land. They needed to cross the desert and climb the mountains with their wagons, mules and oxen.It was very important that the travelers left early enough so not to get caught in the Sierra Mountains during the winter. Many were aware of the tragic fate of the Donner party in 1846.Coming by land with covered wagons had its advantages. Travelers could pack a lot more gear. They would pack a cooking stove, plates and cups, and forks and knives. They would carry enough food and supplies for a 6 month journey. Food was usually bacon, ham, rice, dried fruits, bread, flour, sugar, rice, molasses, butter, coffee and tea.Oxen-pulled Wagon (Source: Library of Congress)Overland travelers would take tools for mining, farming, and fixing the wagon. They also took guns and ammunition, and clothes and blankets. All of this had to be carried in a wagon about 9 feet long and 4 feet wide.Some travelers also brought cattle and chickens to provide food.This was a difficult route. People were often poorly prepared. Many people died during tComing by SeaTop of PageArgonauts Ariving at San Francisco Bay in 1849(Source: Library of Congress)There were two water main routes to California. A 17,000 mile route around the South America and Cape Horn took 5 to 7 months. Travelers had to deal with fierce storms, and lots of sickness due poor living conditions and limited fruit and vegetables causing scurvy. The second route was by steamship via Panama. This route was much quicker, but very expensive. These ships also had very crowded living quarters and lots of sickness.At one time there were more than 500 ships in the San Francisco harbor. Most were abandoned, and left to decay, by crews headed in search of gold.Many people arriving by sea expected to find gold right off the boat. They didnt know that the gold was 150 miles inland. They had spent all their money and were very tired and hungry upon reaching San Francisco. Many were not prepared for this extra part of the journey.he trip from illness, starvation and drowning.Panning for GoldTop of PageProspecting for Gold(Source: Library of Congress)In the early days gold was easy to find. All you needed was a knife, pick, shovel and a pan. Gold nuggets could be pried from rocks. Dirt shoveled from creeks and rivers could be swirled in a pan to find gold. This picture shows prospectors panning for gold (Source: Library of Congress).Panning for Gold (Source: Library of Congress)Gold is heavier than sand or gravel. Miners would swirl sediment from a river in a pan of water. The sand and dirt would float in the water and could be poured off leaving heavy rocks, and hopefully gold.The Long TomTop of PageMining with Long Toms(Source: Library of Congress)Once the easy gold was found, more inventive ways were needed to get gold. The Long Tom was an 8 to 20 foot rocker. Miners would shovel dirt into it, pour water over it, and rock it like a cradle. Lighter dirt and gravel was washed away, leaving heavier gold. This picture shows miners using the Long Tom (Source: Library of Congress).River MiningTop of PageRiver Mining (Source: Library of Congress)Gold veins are often deep in high cliffs and remote areas of mountains. The gold can be found in river beds or creeks in sediment worn away by water. Rivers would wash the gold from rocks and other deposits and carry it downstream. The heavy gold would sink to the bottom and could be found using pans.River Mining with Diversion Dam(Source: Library of Congress)Some miners decided that the riverbeds under flowing rivers has gold like the dried up creeks. They built dams to redirect the water so they could mine the river bottom.Searching for GoldTop of Page49er and Mule (Source: Library of Congress)In the early days of 1848 and 1849, it was not uncommon for a miner to dig $2000 of gold a day. But the average miner might be lucky to find $10 per day. As time went on the easy gold was all found, Although some made it rich, most of the others were lucky if they made enough to eat. After 1852 most of the surface gold was mined, panning for gold was no longer profitable. This picture shows a 49er with his mule and supplies. Thousands of miners died on the journey or in the diggings. Many died from disease, or from accidents such as drowning in a river.Camping and HousingTop of PageMiners Camping(Source: Library of Congress)Most miners lived in tents and cooked their food over an open fire. Meals were usually beans, bacon or local game cooked over an open fire. Most camps and mining towns were canvas tents or wooden buildings. Fires were very common. Many camps and towns were completely destroyed by fire. Some several times.Heavy rain and snow during the winter months made for very difficult living and mining conditions. Most miners spent the winter in San Francisco or some mining town.Sickness and colds were common from sleeping on cold, damp ground. The food was not very nutritious resulting in generally poor health. Scurvy was common from lack of fruits and vegetables. Sanitation was poor and miners seldom bathed or washed their clothes.Family and FriendsTop of PageMiners Camp in the Evening(Source: Library of Congress)Most miners came by themselves, leaving their families at home. Many young miners suffered from home sickness from being alone. This picture shows a group of travelers setting up camp.Some families did make the trip to California. Many miners formed friendships and communities with other travelers. Card games, gambling and betting were common ways to pass the time.Cost of LivingTop of PageThe success of finding gold drove up prices for everything. While the average worker might make $6 to $10 per day, food and supplies could cost much more than. Many people spent 6 months earnings, or more, getting to California. When they arrived, they could not afford basic supplies.To the right are several prices lists of goods from 1849 (Source: Library of Congress).EARLY CALIFORNIA PRICES CURRENT.-Delanos Life on the Plains and at the Diggings, gives the following as the prices paid at Lassens Ranch, on September 17, 1849: Flour, per 100 pounds . $50.00 Fresh beef, per 100 pounds . 35.00 Pork, . 75.00 Sugar, . 50.00 Cheese, per pound . 1.50 H. A. Harrison, in a letter to the Baltimore Clipper, dated San Francisco, February 3, 1849, gives the following price-list: Beef, per quarter . $20.00 Fresh Pork, per pound . .25 Butter, per pound . 1.00 Cheese, per pound . 1.00 Ham, per pound . 1.00 Flour, per barrel . 18.00 Pork, per barrel . $35 to 40.00 Coffee, per pound . .16 Rice, per pound . .10 Teas, per pound . .60 cents to 1.00 Board, per week . 12.00 Labor, per day . $6 to 10.00 Wood, per cord . 20.00 Brick, per thousand . $50 to 80.00 Lumber, per thousand . 150.00 William D. Wilson, writing to the St. Joseph Valley Register, on February 21, 1849, gives the following schedule of prices at Sutters Fort: Flour, per barrel . $30 to $40.00 Salt Pork, per barrel . 110 to 150.00 Salt Beef, . 45 to 75.00 Molasses,. 30 to 40.00 Salt Salmon . 40 to 50.00 Beans, per pound . .20 Potatoes, . .14 Coffee, . 20 cents to .33 Sugar, . 20 cents to .30 Rice, . 20 cents to .30 Boots, per pair . $20 to 25.00 Shoes,. 3 to 12.00 Blankets . 40 to 100.00 Transportation by river from San Francisco to Sacramento, he says, was $6 per one hundred pounds. From Sacramento to the mines by team at the rate of $10 for every twenty-five miles. John H. Miller, writing to the St. Joseph Valley Register, October 6, 1849, gives the following prices at Weberville, 60 miles from Sacramento: Wagons . $40 to $80.00 Oxen, per yoke . 50 to 150.00 Mules, each . 90 to 150.00 Board, per meal, $1.50, or per week . 21.00 Beef, per pound . 40 cents to .75 Salt Pork, per pound . 40 cents to .75 Flour, per pound . 25 cents to .30 Sugar, per pound . 30 cents to .50 Molasses, per gallon . $2 to 4.00 Mining Cradles . $20 to 60.00 Mining Pans . $4 to 8.00 Foreigner CampsTop of PageChinese Camp(Source: Library of Congress)During the early days of the gold rush everyone expected to become rich. No one was bothered by others finding gold. Foreigners mined along side of everyone else. In the early 1850s as gold became more difficult to find, all that changed. United States citizens became unhappy with foreigners mining U.S. gold.Foreigners finding gold made them angry and jealous. Foreigners such as the Chinese, Europeans, Mexicans, South Americans and even Native Americans were driven out of mining camps and forced to set up camps of their own.Law and OrderTop of PageJustice was often at the hands of angry mobs(Source: Library of Congress)By the early 1850s, the gold rush had attracted a less desirable crowd. Crooks, bandits, claim jumpe