The truth about the California Gold Rush
In 1848, news began to circulate within the United States that gold had been discovered in the western land of California.
Soon thereafter, hundreds of thousands of people from the United States and around the world traveled overland and by sea to California to attempt to, by hook or by crook, make their fortunes in this often-lawless frontier.
Here are 43 gilded facts about the California gold rush.
43. Second in Line
While the California gold rush is by far the most famous, the first gold rush that occurred in the United States actually happened 50 years earlier in North Carolina.
Over 30,000 people poured into the Tar Heel state to scour the hills for gold after a 17-pound nugget was discovered in Cabarrus County.
Apparently, for more than 30 years all the gold coins issued by the US mint utilized gold that came from North Carolina.
42. Walking Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death
Death Valley, the desert valley in eastern California that is known as one of the hottest places on earth, received its name in 1849 during the height of the gold rush when 13 prospectors attempting to cross the valley to reach the gold fields died.
Soon after, this incident became part of popular lore and the valley received its ominous name.
41. International Event
The California gold rush was an international event, attracting immigrants from around the world.
News of the discovery of gold was slow to reach the East Coast of the US, so many of the first immigrants to California were from South America and Asia. By 1852, more than 25,000 immigrants from China arrived in America.
40. Unfree Enterprise
As foreign immigrants poured into the California territory in search of their fortune, anti-immigrant sentiment among American miners surged.
In 1850, the new state passed the Foreign Miners Tax that charged a monthly fee of $20 on non-citizens—equivalent to $500 today.
This law was later repealed and replaced with a tax specifically on Chinese miners, charging them $2 per month, equivalent to $80 today.
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