How Did The Gold Rush Affect The Demographic Makeup Of California

Jan 2018

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U.South. Census Bureau History: The California Aureate Rush

Gold Miner

On January 24, 1848, workers building a saw mill discovered aureate in California's
American River. As a outcome of the discovery, California's population grew
from approximately viii,000 in 1840 to 100,000 in 1850!

On Jan 24, 1848, James W. Marshall—a carpenter working at John Sutter'southward sawmill about Placerville and Coloma, CA—discovered aureate in California's American River. Marshall's nugget initiated the first of several big-scale western migrations in American history equally miners, prospectors, and dreamers sought their share of the 750,000 pounds of gold found in California between 1848 and 1855.

Following the discovery of the beginning gold nugget in his sawmill's tailrace, John Sutter hoped to go on the detect a secret to protect the agricultural empire he was building. For Sutter's workers, the news was also good to go on quiet. Rumors of gold in the surface area effectually New Helvetia (Sacramento, CA) reached San Francisco in March 1848. The New York Herald reported the news on August 19, 1848, noting that the metal could be institute in affluence and was waiting for miners to arrive to claim information technology. In his December 1848 address to Congress, President James Polk confirmed that the territory (which United mexican states ceded to the The states before in the twelvemonth following acceptance of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo) was rich with gold.

Between 1849 and 1855, thousands of aspiring miners, entrepreneurs, and their families fabricated the backbreaking land and sea journey to California. As a result of its rapidly growing population and the Compromise of 1850, California became a state without first being a territory. The vast majority of people arriving in California never "struck information technology rich." Many followed rumors to other gold and silver strikes, opened businesses supplying mines and miners, and helped open the western United States to settlement. Today, Americans and immigrants continue to dream of a new life in California making the "Golden Country" the almost populous in the United States. In the 165 years between 1850 and 2015, the state grew from 92,597 to more 39 million.

You can learn more about California's growth, the California Gold Rush, and the nation's mining manufacture using census data and records. For example:

The California Gold Rush was not America's first gold rush. In 1799, a 12-year-former boy discovered a 17 pound gilt asset in Cabarrus County, NC. The boy'due south family used the nugget as a doorstop for several years before realizing its value. Commerical mining continued sporadically in the region into the early 20th Century.
In his fourth annual address to the U.Due south. Congress on December 5, 1848, President James Polk confirmed the discovery of gold in California. In response to reports from California, Polk stated that such an "affluence" of gold had been found that the news "would scarcely command belief." Aspiring miners "rushed" to California, causing the land's population to increase by more than 300 percent between 1850 and 1860.
Sutter's Mill is located along the American River nigh Coloma, CA. Two years after James W. Marshall discovered gold at the mill, Coloma's population was 588. Information technology grew to 888 in 1860. In 2015, the American Community Survey estimated Coloma'due south population was 874. Today, visitors tin learn more than about the discovery of aureate at the Marshall Golden Discovery State Historic Park.
The American River is fed by its North, Center, and Due south forks located in El Dorado, Placer, and Sacramento Counties. In 1860, the total population of these counties was 57,974. Today, the iii counties are habitation to two,080,616.
It was often easier to "strike information technology rich" equally a merchant than a aureate miner in California. Selling supplies and services to the state's miners helped make Samuel Brannan (founder of the California Star paper), Jonas Clark (founder of Clark Academy, Worcester, MA), Leland Stanford (founder of Stanford University), Domingo Ghirardelli (chocolatier and coffee merchant), and Levi Strauss wealthy.
Today, Nevada is the leading gold-producing state in the nation. According to the U.Southward. Geological Survey, Nevada was responsible for 72 percent (151 metric tons) of domestic golden production in 2014. Alaska was the nation's second largest gilded producer, accounting for 15 percent (31.4 metric tons) of full domestic gilt production.
More than three-quarters of the globe's golden is used to industry jewelry (NAICS 339910). The 2012 Economic Census plant that in that location were 2,050 jewelry and silverware manufacturing establishments (NAICS 339910) in the United States. They oftentimes sold their wares through some of the nation's 7,931 jewelry, sentinel, gem, and precious metallic merchant wholesalers (NAICS 423940).
The Bureau of Economic Assay reported that mining deemed for $260.6 billion of the nation'south gross domestic product (Gdp) in 2016. (The GDP measures the nation's total output of goods and services.) Mining, except oil and gas, (including aureate mining) was responsible for $61.vi billion of the gross domestic product that year.
Every bit of May 31, 2017, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Agency of the Fiscal Service reported that the U.S. Authorities's total gold reserve totaled 261,498,926.230 fine troy ounces. The book value of the aureate (calculated at the statutory rate of $42.2222 per fine troy ounce) was $11,041,059,957.46. The marketplace value of that gold (based on the London Bullion Market cost for that mean solar day of $i,266.20 per ounce) was more than $331.1 billion.

California Clipper advertisement

News of the discovery of gilt in California reached the eastern United States by August 1848. President James Polk confirmed the discovery
in an address to Congress on December 5, 1848. Americans soon began "rushing" to California by land and sea before the "easy" gold disappeared.
Between 1850 and 1860, California'due south population grew from 92,597 to 379,994—a 310 percent increase!

Photo courtesy of the Country of Oregon.

This Month in Census History

Virginia City, Nevada
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Did Yous Know?

California aureate miners "rushed" to Nevada's Virginia Range post-obit the 1859 announcement of the Comstock Lode's rich argent and gold fields.

The influx of miners and their families led to the creation of the Nevada Territory (from the Utah Territory) in 1861, and statehood on Oct 31, 1864. Between 1860 and 1870, Nevada'due south population grew from 6,857 to 42,941.

Miners and entrepreneurs established Virginia City, NV—county seat of Storey County, NV—to support Comstock Lode mining activities in 1859. Peaking at x,917 in 1880, Virginia City's population was 855 in 2010.

Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Miners
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Gilt Mining

In 2012, there were vi,091 mining establishments (except oil and gas, NAICS 212) in the United States that employed 211,830 people.

In 2014, the U.Southward. Geological Survey reported that domestic gold mines (NAICS 212221) produced approximately 210 metric tons of the xanthous metal valued at $eight.6 billion. In that aforementioned twelvemonth, silvery mines (NAICS 212222) produced more than than 1,180 metric tons of silver.

Photo courtesy of the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

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