California Gold Rush Map

The United States had just taken control of California from Mexico when gold was discovered there in 1848. The news spread worldwide and resulted in a mass migration to the area. Within two years, an estimated 250,000 "Forty-Niners" arrived in the mountains east of current-day San Francisco to seek their fortunes.

Over the next five years, hundreds of tiny mining towns sprang up and the "Wild West" was born. This era earned a reputation for hard drinking, gambling, fighting and other forms of debauchery. Because these communities were cropping up so quickly, there was little in the way of established institutions, such policing or courts, and lawlessness was rampant.

Most of the young gold prospectors were white males. However, diverse populations from near and far came to join the search for riches. It was a Jewish immigrant from Germany named Levi Strauss who designed blue jeans for the mining industry. There were also Mexicans who joined the ranks of the "Forty-Niners" as well as African Americans, Chinese immigrants and others from just about every country in the world.

Mining settlement in Randsburg, California	California Gold miners

While not all of these treasure hunters found riches, many of them achieved varying degrees of success. At least $200 million in gold was discovered over the next five years. Various professionals came to the area and established new local economies. These people included precious metal specialists, doctors, attorneys, and merchants. All of these changes dramatically altered the state of California in significant ways: socially, politically, and environmentally. Historians believe California became a state much sooner because of the influx of gold seekers. California became the thirty-first state in 1850, whereas New Mexico and Arizona didn't achieve statehood until 1912. All three territories were acquired by the United States at the same time.

Five years after that first cry of "Gold!" population growth began to outpace mining success, and the rush was over. Part of the decline was due to independent miners being displaced by large mining companies that employed advanced machinery and cheaper labor forces. Nevertheless, California was on the map and had become a permanent part of the Union.