California Gold Rush Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

California Gold Rush - Essay Example Many people became wealthy but many returned home with very little money. The Gold Rush transformed San Francisco from a tiny village consisting of tents to a town with roads, churches and other buildings. Laws were created and government was established in the region. New transportation methods like steamships and railroads were created. Agriculture became widespread throughout the state. There were negative aspects of the Gold Rush as Native Americans were attacked and confined to the reservations. The gold mining also caused environmental harm. This paper explores the meaning and nature of the Gold Rush by examining the first hand accounts of James ayers and William Shaw. James Ayers had a brief career as a miner and visited California in 1849. William Shaw was an Englishman living South Australia when he heard of the California gold rush. He visited San Diego and San Francisco. He began a long trip to the gold fields and as prospectors in the international community of the camps. San Francisco was a tiny settlement before the start of the rush. The residents would leave their ships and businesses to join the Gold Rush. Many merchants and new people also arrived in the city. The population of San Francisco exploded from one thousand in 1848 to twenty five thousand in 1850. James Ayer says that gambling was the main business at the Portsmouth Square. The streets of San Francisco in 1849 were alive with people from all parts of the world. San Francisco had a magnificent harbor which had no level ground beyond the narrow rim that formed the crescent beach (Ayers 31). Thousands of profiteers were more than willing to separate a miner from his gold. Gold was a magnet that attracted many people from all over the world. San Francisco is described as a cultural mecca by Ayer (Pg. 31). The city had theaters, opera and more newspapers than any city in the world except London. The collision of cultures was its