| By 1849 the gold
rush was on. People from all over the United States and
the World were rushing to California. People caught
"Gold Fever" in the hope of striking it rich.
Many gold seekers arrived expecting to find rivers
overflowing with gold. Unfortunately, most found
riverbanks crowded with miners.
Most prospectors were
previously storekeepers, cooks, carpenters, teachers,
farmers or some other trade before heading to California
in search of gold. By 1850, the mining country had become
quite populated. Many of the immigrants ended up started
businesses, trading posts, importing goods to seel to
miners, farming and ranching. They took advantage of the
skills they brought with them.
In the mid-1850s gold was becoming very difficult to
find. More people were making fortunes from selling
supplies to miners, than the miners themselves.
When silver was discovered in Nevada in 1859, the
miners headed for Nevada. This ended the California Gold
Rush.
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