The California Gold Rush

 

Have you ever dreamed of being rich? Ever wanted to have endless amounts of cash? Settlers in the 1800’s did. The westward expansion was a time in history when the U.S. grew from settlers moving west. An important era during the westward expansion was the California gold rush. The dangers in the gold rush, the forty-niners, and the miners' lives are three important topics vital to understanding the California gold rush.

One important topic connected with the California gold rush is the forty-niners. The forty-niners were the people that traveled west for the gold rush. The forty-niners started their journey in spring and summer of 1849. They wanted to find gold to either start a family or to sustain their family. The forty-niners lived in camps and sometimes died from indian attacks or disease.

Another topic connected with the California gold rush is the dangers the forty-niners faced. One of the dangers were the Indians, they attacked the forty-niners at random. Violence was common in the camps. Weather would make it very dangerous to venture out.

Finally, the miners had very harsh lives. The miners had to leave for the mines on Monday and come back Saturday. Some miners died at the mines because they got shot while going to the mines. They had to either live by themselves or in a group.

The California gold rush was a hard time, the dangers, miners’ lives, and the forty niners are all examples of this hard time.