During the California Gold Rush, a total of 81 million dollars was earned in just a year. Overall, it was estimated that 2 billion worth of precious metals were unearthed during its totality.
A carpenter named James Marshall and Captain John Sutter formed a partnership to build a sawmill, they decided that the former would provide labor while the latter would give the land. Eventually, when they were almost done, they discovered something on the river bed. On that day, Marshall had his heart thumping as he noticed flakes of bright gold running to the tailrace.
Immediately, he and his crew examined it using a lye bath, and they were further astounded by their discovery. A few days later, Marshal went to the Captain and reported his newfound news. After confirming it before his eyes, Sutter told everyone to keep the event an utmost secret.
Peak of California Gold Rush
But things would not go in that way. The gold news had spread. And men started to pour in like a flood. Later on, Sutter would find himself kicked off on his land. And Marshal was not good either as he suffered violence at the hands of forceful mobs.
Meanwhile, the largest migration in US history began. And despite the precarious journey on the California trail, these prospectors had never stopped coming. Soon, boomtowns were established everywhere.
There were corporate miners and independent ones. Each has different methods in their conquest for gold. They all got one thing in mind, and that’s if they’re lucky, then they could earn a fortune in just a day, possibly can earn in their lifetime.
The great business started popping out here and there. They sold pickaxes and rations and later became more wealthy than any average miner could be.
While a total of 81 million dollars worth of gold was once earned. And overall, 2 billion worth of precious metals were unearthed. Unfortunately, all things have been thought to have their ends. Eventually, the crowded and bustling boomtowns suddenly became ghost towns as the gold was devoured. In twenty years, the 49ers risked all their time, blood, and sweat in search of hidden gold. And Yes, though some became wealthy, others also ended up in much worst than poverty.
This event became a great history of California. And if this never happened, then we might never have what it was today. However, it was estimated that around a hundred thousand innocent live of Natives were compromised on that slim chance of prosperity. Some were expelled from their home, dying of hunger and sickness. Or worst were murdered in cold blood, as the government even paid for each scalp that those wicked would collect. In a deep analysis, was the California Gold Rush worth it?
