Explain two consequences of the Gold Rush (1849) for migration Flashcards
desire to get rich quickly acted as a ‘pull’ factor encouraging over 40,000 people to cross the Great Plains.San Francisco transformed from a small settlement into a city by the number of miners arriving and settling.need to provide services to miners led to increased migration and the founding of mining towns, such as Virginia City. Large numbers of people from around the world heading to California resulted in the non-Native American population rising to approximately 225,000.
The oregan Trail from 1810
A 2000mile route cutting across the Great plains, They went from east to west coast of America
The origins of the Oregan trail
In 1810 merchants began to lay a trail across america
Main company using it was the Pacific Fur company
By 1836 it was improvised and could carry wagons pulled by hourses
It enabled white settlers to trade more and move around the USA
It had similar imact to railroads in the 1800’s
Migration events
1837 a 7 year recession was triggered by the collapse of some American banks
Unemployment rose in cities and people were forced to move out and look for jobs outside of cities
1841 Us gov published a map with the oregan trail to show them where to go
1843 The great migration involved 1000 people leaving oregan and heading to missouri
Religious persecution encouraged migration to the west Mormon church founded by Josepth smith 1830 .1844 Smith was killed. 2 years later mormons banned from Ilinois
The Gold rush
encouraged migration westward
began in the state of california in 1848, But gold was discovered on the black hills which were sacred to the Sioux indian tribe
Farming land
Great plains are grassland which is good for growing crops and grazing cattle As unemployment rose in thew 7 year recession moving to farm in the great plains was an attractive alternative job if you were unemployed
HOWEVER corn and wheat prices fell in this season
The magnitude of the gold rush
over 100k people thought to have arrived in San F.(1848-1849)
James marshall started it by finding gold near Sierra Nevada mountains
Some people even migrated from china to find better life (1852)
Most found no gold and lost money moving to Cali
NFL team 49ers named after great migration
Professional gold mining
Rapid rise in population of San F. meant in 1849 Cali applied to join the USa AS THE 31ST STATE
(1859)Cali pop rose to 380k
Many panned for gold ‘picking up stones from the river, seiving out rocks,looking for gold’
(1950)- proffesional miners were digging for gold in ground under mining equipment
Many gold rushers killed lots of the plains indians living in california in disputes over land and other things
