Borthwick had been living in New York in 1851 when he “was seized with the California fever” and joined the crowds headed west. “All sorts and conditions of men, old, young, and middle-aged… were relinquishing their existing pursuits and associations to commence a totally new existence in the land of gold,” the Edinburgh-born artist J.D. In 1850, just over a year after Polk made his announcement, the Census Bureau made its first-ever count: It found 92,597 residents.Ī decade later, that number had nearly quadrupled. One way to measure the impact of the Gold Rush is by population. How California was transformed by the Gold Rush It turns out, neither did the so-called “ 49ers” who came to California at the Gold Rush’s height-1849. Those prospectors probably won’t get rich from their finds. It’s clear the lure of a quick payday is still strong today. Just last month, in fact, heavy winter storms in California brought on “mini gold rushes” of enthusiasts who scoured streams and rivers for tiny nuggets of shiny yellow metal washed down from the mountains. His announcement helped spark a mad dash for riches that would transform the distant American territory into the “Golden State” and leave an imprint on the national consciousness that lingers today. There were already at least 4,000 gold prospectors in California, he reported. “The accounts of the abundance of gold in that territory are of such an extraordinary character as would scarcely command belief,” Polk told Congress. A sawmill worker named James Marshall had spotted flecks of metal in a stream bed, and word was starting to get out. After discussing the recently concluded Mexican-American War, the president got to the point: There was gold in those California hills. Polk’s deed came during his final State of the Union in December 1848. Polk’s last major acts as president was also one of his most consequential: He helped set off the California Gold Rush.
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