Transcript Americans Rush West - Haines Borough School District

Americans Rush West
In the late 1840s, thousands of
Americans headed west,
including the Mormons who went
to Utah and the forty-niners who
headed to California.
Mormons Settle in Utah
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Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints, founded by Joseph Smith
Smith and his followers moved west to
Illinois
In a clash with neighbors, Smith was killed
Brigham Young, the new leader, decided
to go to Utah so the Mormons could be
safe from persecution
A Difficult Journey
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Mormon handcart.
http://cyberkids.ccsd.k12.wy.us/4-J/wyo_history/Traveling_trails/travel.html
15,000 people made
the journey
Survived harsh desert
climate
Founded Salt Lake
City
The California Gold Rush
While the Mormons were moving
to Utah, thousands of other
Americans raced further west to
California….
1848, Gold discovered at Sutter’s
Mill
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John Sutter was
having a mill built
north of Sacramento,
California.
He hired John
Marshall to supervise
the work…
Early in the morning after this took
place, Mr. Marshall was walking along
the left Bank of the stream when he
perceived something which he at first
took for a piece of opal, a dark
transparent stone, very common here –
glittering on one of the spots laid bare
by the suddenly crumbling away of the
bank. He paid no attention to this, but
while he was giving directions to the
workmen, having observed several
similar glittering fragments, his
curiosity was so far excited, that he
stooped down and picked one of them
up. 'Do you know,' said Mr. Marshall to
me, 'I positively debated within myself
two or three times whether I should
take the trouble to bend my back to
pick up one of the pieces and had
decided on not doing so when farther
on, another glittering morsel caught my
eye – the largest of the pieces now
before you.’
-Capt. Sutter’s account
John Marshall at Sutter’s mill
http://www.books-about-california.com/Images/California_Romantic/Sutter's_Mill.jpg
The Gold Rush was on!
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More than 80,000 people moved to
California in 1849
Became known as the ’49ers
People came from Europe, China,
Australia, and South America.
Even women became prospectors.
http://www.library.ca.gov/goldrush/images
Crime and Punishment
http://www.calgoldrush.com/
The Chinese
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By 1880, they constituted 22% of
California's mining population,
making them the largest single
nationality engaged in mining.
Faced enormous prejudice.
Very industrious. Offered a wide
range of services such as
laundries, garden fresh
vegetables, firewood and
domestic services.
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Nevada City had many
fires over the years and
the Chinese Quarter was
no exception. When a
major fire in June of 1880
devastated the Chinese
Quarter, Nevada City
passed an ordinance
stating "all Chinese shall
be removed from Nevada
City within sixty days."
http://www.historichwy49.com/ethnic/chinese.html
Nearly $2,000,000,000 in gold was taken
from the earth before mining became
dormant.
What a great misfortune was this sudden gold discovery
for me! It has just broken up and ruined my hard, restless,
and industrious labors, connected with many dangers of
life, as I had many narrow escapes before I became properly
established.
From my mill buildings I reaped no benefit whatever, the
mill stones even have been stolen and sold.
By this sudden discovery of the gold, all my great plans
were destroyed.
- Gen. John A. Sutter, November 1857