What you need to know How did the discovery of gold change California?

Explain how the discovery of gold affected California’s population and settlements. Describe the routes that gold seekers used to reach California.

 Sutter hires James Marshall to build the sawmill  John Sutter builds a sawmill in Coloma  Marshall discovers gold, January 24, 1848, while working on the mill  Marshall tells Sutter about it  Sutter confirms the nugget is gold  Word gets out about the gold discovery and workers leave the sawmill to search for gold  Sam Brannan spread word of the discovery

We’re not sure if that’s really James Marshall in this photo. James Marshall

Sutter in uniform. Painting of Sutter’s Fort in Sacramento, CA. Painting of John Sutter.

Gold! Gold! Gold in Coloma! Sam Brannan told everyone about the discovery of gold on the American River. He held up a bottle of gold dust for everyone to see after returning to San Francisco from Coloma.

 President James K. Polk confirmed the discovery of gold in Coloma  About 90,000 gold seekers left for CA  They were called 49ers because most of them began arriving in 1849  Most miners were men  About 1000 African Americans came to the gold fields, some as slaves  There were 3 routes to the CA gold fields

1) Part land and sea This was the fastest; people sailed to the Isthmus of Panama and then traveled overland by mule, foot or riverboat. Once at the Pacific Coast, they caught another ship to the CA coast. 2) All by sea People took a ship; it could take 3-8 months; it was the longest 3) All by land Travelers crossed deserts and mountain ranges; sometimes there were accidents, or people got sick or ran out of food and water

Many travelers were bitten by mosquitoes carrying yellow fever or malaria.

The canal is 48 miles long. It was built between This route would be safer for ships as they would not need to sail through the Straight of Magellan or around Cape Horn.

 Miners “staked” their gold claims by driving stakes or posts into the ground around the area they were prospecting  Miners used cradles, pans, shovels and picks to find gold  Miners usually worked 6 days a week

 Camp life was hard  Most lived in tents or shacks  There was little food or medicine  Streets were filled with trash  Miners played cards or read for entertainment  On Sunday they rested or did laundry  Few people got rich

Most miners built simple lean-to shelters or used canvas tents. They often worked 6 days a week, from sun up to sun set.

These images depict the difficulties of a miner’s life.

What did the discovery of gold do to CA? How did it affect CA’s population? How did it affect CA’s settlements? How did gold seekers get to CA? Route 1? Route 2? Route 3?