DUBUQUE IN THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH

This entry is in the early stage of develpment.

DUBUQUE IN THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH. The California gold rush began on January 24, 1848, when James W. Marshall discovered a gold nugget in the American River while constructing a sawmill for John Sutter, a Sacramento businessman and agricultural pioneer. News of Marshall’s discovery brought thousands of immigrants to California from across in the United States and internationally. The "49ers," as the gold prospectors were known, caused California's population to soar. In 1848 before the discovery of gold, California had a population of some 12,000 Mexicans - including Californians of Mexican descent, called Californios - in addition to about 20,000 Native Americans and only 2,000 Yankee frontiersmen, soldiers, and settlers. (1) In San Francisco, the population grew from 1,000 in 1848 to over 20,000 by 1850. (2) By 1850, there were more than 100,000 immigrants in California. (3)

At first, there were only two routes. The first involved a six-month sea voyage from New York around the tip of South America to San Diego or San Francisco. Seasickness, bug-infested food, boredom, and high expense made this route unattractive for many would-be prospectors. The second route brought travelers over the Oregon-California Trail in covered wagons—over rugged terrain and hostile territory. This journey averaged six months' duration. (4) By 1850, the length and difficulty of both routes inspired the construction of the Panama Railway, the world's first transcontinental railroad. Built across the isthmus of Panama by private American companies to speed travel to California, the railroad helped to cut months from the long voyage around South America.

---

Source:

1. "The Gold Rushes of North America," A Calliope Fact Sheet. Online: http://www.calliope.org/gold/gold2.html

2. "California Gold Rush," Harvard University Library Open Collections Program. Online: http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/immigration/goldrush.html

3. "The Gold Rushes..."

4. Ibid.