By J.D.

In 1848, during the construction of Sutter’s Mill, James Marshall "accidentally" discovered gold. The next year, all of a sudden, 100,000 people were at the site looking for gold. Two years later, the people almost all gone because of advance technology and big businesses. A big series of events! Here’s how it all started.

While building, James W. Marshall discovered the gold. He told John A. Sutter who promised his employees to keep the news a secret, but the word leaked out. Gold was discovered at the site of Sutter’s mill. Months later, a shrewd merchant, hoping to increase his business, set off the gold rush. Later, President James A. Polk confirmed the presence of gold.

After the confirmed presence of gold, "Gold Fever" swept the nation. Soon, Forty-Niners swept into California in 1849(Hence the name Forty-Niners) Than, Gold Fever swept the world! Most Forty-Niners got there by boat, while others got there by wagon. By the end of 1849, miners weren’t going individually, but in groups. Soon after that, they constructed dams to keep the water out and make the job easier.

The gold rush had other effects on the United States. One was the increase of prices of certain items, for example, $3 for and egg and $400 for a barrel of flour. The people who bought the gold, including Marshall and Sutter, ended up almost penniless. Wherever gold was discovered, camps were set up. Each camp came with a saloon and gambling house. Even though people were excited, they followed frontier justice. Because California was a colony, and not part of the union, there were no officials to monitor what was going on. This consisted of some of the miners forming self-governing bodies.

However, the Gold Rush activity was short-lived. Big businesses made machines that mined faster than humans did. Even though there were machines, the businesses hired trained miners. This was known as the decline of gold fever. This is where the gold rush ended.

For more information:
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761589799/
Gold_Rush_of_1849.html

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