The Gold Rush Exploration

Sutter’s Mill significance

• First gold discovery in California

• Site of the first railroad in California

• Location of the first state capital

• First agricultural settlement in California

Evaluating gold rush’s effect on U.S. economy

• national wealth, trade, and westward expansion

• increased unemployment and inflation

• decreased agricultural production

• reduction in foreign investments

Reasoning behind gold rush migrations

• opportunity outweighed dangers and hardships

• dangers and hardships were minimal

• gold was easily accessible

• migration was mandatory for survival

Economic boom

• increase in business and trade from gold discoveries

• decrease in unemployment rates due to factory closures

• reduction in government spending on infrastructure

• stagnation of economic growth due to market saturation

Population growth in California

• increase due to gold rush migration

• decrease due to drought

• stagnation due to economic decline

• increase due to agricultural expansion

Social changes in mining towns

• populations and new communities formed

• decrease in job opportunities

• increase in pollution levels

• decline in local businesses

Year California Gold Rush began

• 1848

• 1850

• 1845

• 1860

Gold panning

• method using a pan to separate gold from dirt

• a technique for mining silver

• a process of refining copper

• a way to extract diamonds from soil

Environmental effects of mining

• water pollution, and landscape changes

• increased biodiversity

• improved air quality

• enhanced soil fertility

Definition of gold rush

• migration to an area where gold has been discovered

• a sudden increase in gold prices

• a historical event in the 19th century

• a type of investment strategy