Interesting facts about gold mining (7 photos)

In 1848, on January 24, the world-famous "golden fever." People went by the thousands to look for one of the most valuable metals in the world. The search history was difficult: someone got lucky and he I was able to get rich, but someone put everything on the line and got nothing.





California today is not just the most populous state America. It is also in third place in terms of area. The state has a rich history There are many sights and stunning scenic spots. It is interesting that gold is still being continued there, but with Golden The fever has been gone for a long time. Few California families where there are no stories of gold mining.



The first gold and most of the other finds were discovered on the lands of John Sutter.

On that January day, carpenter James Marshall accidentally found golden pea, during work at the sawmill. The carpenter hurried show Sutter the find and after checking with nitric acid suspicions confirmed: it was gold of the highest standard.

Despite the fact that Marshall's discovery led to the same "gold rush", he himself did not receive a cent for it. The earth was not him and he could not appropriate what he found. Unfortunately, the carpenter drinking hard and died in a ditch. It was one of the first gold diggers who ended his life this way...





Everyone who was looking for metal sieved daily from 80 to 400 kilograms of land in search of gold. The miners came by the thousands, they didn't feared neither the absence of at least some kind of housing, nor the absence of something at least would be approximately similar to the road. Everyone sifted the sand: teachers, soldiers, farmers. Almost the entire population of California went to look for metal. Farms were ruined, and enterprises had to be closed altogether.

In 1849, the port of San Francisco received about 700 ships. On they were not only ordinary passengers, but also sailors covered "fever".



The gold mining process was very, very expensive. Those who left to search often only spent without earning anything. Jack London in his autobiography, you can find stories about gold mining and what, to for example, transporting goods across a river could cost about 10 thousand dollars (in terms of today's money). Prices for housing, food and other essential services at the gold mining sites were simply incredible. Housing could cost about 2 thousand dollars (according to today's rate), coffee could cost $ 100, and for one egg they could break price of 25 dollars.

In gold-mining cities, cooks or laundresses often got more miners.



From 1849 to 1855, about three hundred thousand people arrived in California, seeking to find their share of the gold. San Francisco from a small village of 200 people, in six years became a city with a population of 36 thousand Human. At first, the region was settled by gold miners who managed to come to among the first, they became real rich, because gold is literally crumbled underfoot. But by 1855, the metal remained deep under land and prospectors began to move north.



For the entire period of the California "gold rush" prospectors mined almost 4 thousand tons of gold. The largest piece of gold found in California weighed 88.5 kg.

Unfortunately, the consequences of wholesale gold prospecting will remain in the state for about 10,000 years. During that period, one of The most common method was amalgamation: when liquid metal dissolved rocks. And now in the rivers and coastal areas of California the mercury content is hundreds of times higher than the norm.

During floods, mercury rivers from the mountains descend into the lowlands. rivers. Which, of course, is bad for the health of the inhabitants of the state.



Many cities in California, including Sacramento, were built on the lands of John Sutter.

In 1855 he won a court case in the State Supreme Court California. He wanted to get compensation for the damage he had suffered. for buildings and even for every gram of gold found on his land. Local residents were outraged and this led to sad consequences: the house Sutter was destroyed by the explosion, two of his threesons were killed, and the judge, who made this decision, they even threatened to hang him.