The sight of gold in the rushing waters of the American River sent a ripple around the world and set the stage for an event that would forever change a city, a fledgling state, and the nation.
The native tribes of California saw themselves as stewards not owners of the land. The white settlers who arrived during the Gold Rush brought a different view.
In July 1897, reporters from around the world gathered at Seattle's port as a steamship carrying passengers from Canada's frozen wasteland arrived. Word was out that many aboard had struck it rich and were carrying home sacks — even crates — of gold.
The discovery of gold in1848 unleashed the largest migration in United States history and drew people from a dozen countries to form a multi-ethnic society in California.
Not long after Mexico and the U.S. signed a treaty, news that gold had been discovered in northern California spread, and Californios like Coronel began digging.
By 1850, the idea that the extermination of the native population of California was inevitable had been firmly settled in the minds of many white Californians.
Three years before the Gold Rush, 87 pioneers took a shortcut westward to California, only to get caught in the snows of the Sierra Nevada. The emigrants' fateful journey culminated in death and cannibalism.
Discover the fascinating story of this iconic American garment. From their roots in slavery to the Wild West, hippies, high fashion and hip-hop, jeans are the fabric on which the history of American ideology and politics is writ large.
For some, gold brought tremendous wealth, for others, devastating financial ruin. But its ramifications went well beyond the economic sphere — it also changed the face and shape of America at breakneck speed.
