American frontier
Miners

In 1849, James W. Marshall was building a sawmill for Sutter's Fort on the riverside of the American River when he noticed metal flakes under the waterwheel. He recognized the flakes to be gold. However, the sawmill he was building was not his, meaning that when he finished building the sawmill, his client John Sutter would also notice. Word quickly spread of gold in the American River, leading to a surge of westward migration to California in the hope of striking it rich. This was the start of the California Gold Rush. The California Gold Rush had positive and negative benefits for America. It simultaneously increased the population of California to almost 100,000 people, which helped with the modernization of California, but it also reduced the population of other states. Their employment rates took a hit as well, as people were quitting their jobs so they could embark on their journeys. The California Gold Rush finally came to an end in 1855. The extraction of gold from the river was done by dust panning; with most dust panning normally done by prospectors.

Even after the California Gold Rush, mining was still a common occupation. Most mountainside towns likely had a mineshaft. Most miners were poor, as mining was a very labor-intensive job. Miners would use pickaxes in order to mine into the mountains. They mined gold, zinc, copper, and other metals. These metals were sold to shopkeepers and rich people for currency. Miners were paid a salary of $1.70 per day.

Similarly, other gold rushes happened in other territories as other expeditions were happening. Events such as the Black Hills Gold Rush in the Dakota Territory following the Black Hills Expedition. Or the Pike's Peak Gold Rush in the Nebraska Territory.
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