The Fraser River Gold Rush in Victoria, BC in 1858 had a large impact on many different groups of people. Over 30,000 people seeking wealth traveled to the western part of the country now called Canada. The abundance of gold caused people from all over the world to settle in British Colombia, taking advantage of the short-lived burst in resources. One of the first groups of people who settled by the Fraser River were the Chinese immigrants who traveled up the continent from San Francisco. Later, many other people of Chinese descent moved directly from Hong Kong, looking for a better life in the “Gum Shan” (the “Gold Mountain”). They didn’t get very far before a shortage of labour caused the government relied on the Chinese workers to do hard …show more content…
tasks such as building trails, draining swamps and digging ditches. After working for months and months for the locals, the workers were then blamed for taking the jobs of the locals. The hostility caused an unfair disadvantage to the Chinese workers, leaving them with less gold than they had originally came to collect. Although the state of the gold rush at this point was terrible (from the Chinese’s POV), the immigration helped boost the diversity of the now thriving country. Business boomed for locals in Victoria at the time.
Locals such as builders, hotel owners and merchants were on the receiving end of the wealth income, making enough money from all of the immigrants without even needing to mine for gold. Because of the sudden rise in activity in the area that was once just a few trading posts, the town of Victoria was able to build itself into a more developed civilization, as well as developing a factor to Confederation. At the same time, the largest group of miners were Americans, who viewed the Fraser River Gold Rush as an extension to the previous one in California. Because of their size, the American miners owned many large sections of the land around the hotspots where the richest discoveries were made. This was a main reason that they caused conflicts between the Aboriginals and the British. During the gold rush, the Americans took control of the mining and had the greatest outcome of wealth. The outcome of the Fraser River Gold Rush was much greater than anticipated. Tens of thousands of immigrant miners settled in Victoria, causing the colony to develop at an amazingly fast rate. All of the action in the west side of the continent was a helpful resources that the founding fathers used to initiate Confederation and had an overall productive effect on
country.
The Canadian Pacific Railway was the first transcontinental railway built to connect Canada from coast to coast. (Canadian Pacific Para. 9) The construction almost delayed completely because of John A. MacDonald losing power, but it was finally continued with the help of a syndicate. (Canadian Pacific Para. 4) Due to the insufficient amount of adequate workers in British Columbia, Chinese contract workers were imported to help construct the track with minimal pay and harsh conditions. (Canada Para. 1) Chinese-Canadians were discriminated by being given the most dangerous job, no food or shelter provided, and the least pay. Unfortunately, when the track was completed, the Exclusion Act for Chinese immigrants was established to stop immigration from China, (Calgary Chinese Cultural Centre Para. 5) while also making it impossible for family members from China to immigrate. (Calgary Chinese Cultural Centre Para. 11)
In 1855, miners discovered Gold in the Colville mines of northeastern Washington Territory. Newspapers such as the Oregonian began running daily advertisements to attract miners into the region. Exciting articles with bold titles of “Colville Gold Mines” exclaimed that, “with a common pan we made $6, $8, $10, and as high as $20 per man!” This news created an influx of white settlement to Washington. Territorial Governor, Isaac I. Stevens encouraged the settlement and proposed to consolidate fourteen tribes w...
Vancouver currently maintains an image as a sort of maternal ethnic melting pot, a region rich in cultural diversity and with a municipality that is both tolerant and welcoming of various displays and traditions. However, upon closer examination of recent history, it becomes clear that the concept of the city embracing minorities with a warm liberal hug is both incorrect and a form of manipulation in itself. The articles Erasing Indigenous Indigeneity in Vancouver and The Idea of Chinatown unravel the cultural sanitization that occurred in Vancouver at the turn of the nineteenth century as a means of state domination. Through careful synthesis of primary documents, the articles piece together the systematic oppression suffered by BC indigenous people and Chinese immigrants, reformulating our perception of the interests of the Canadian government.
The creation of societies in the West resulted in the blossoming of three new industries: mining, ranching, and farming. Mining began at large with the discovery of gold in California in 1849 and continued with other discoveries and “rushes” later on; these rus...
The gold and silver mines offered quick wealth to the Spaniards, and the native population was given out freely because of the repartimiento system. The Indians were given as a reward to the Conquistadors for helping the Spanish king in conquering Latin American.
The Pikes Peak Gold Rush took place between July of 1858 and February of 1861. The Pikes Peak Gold Rush was later to be named the Colorado Gold Rush due to its location. It was only the start of the mining industry. Thousands of people took place in mining, those of which were called the “fifty-niners.” William G. Russell was the leader of the expedition to the Rockies. He was married to a Cherokee Indian, which is how he heard of the gold findings in 1849. Based on the rumors of the gold that was being found in Pikes Peak, Russell organized a group including his two brothers and six companions to seek the gold. After doing so, the discovery of gold findings by the prospectors in 1858 sprung up a boom. Once the news of the gold discoveries
The California Gold Rush is one of the most interesting events in American, as well as, California History. The event gathered many in search of quick riches and opportunity globally. The opportunity of mining stretched American east coast influence to the West coast. Also bringing many from South America, Canada, and the Pacific Islands. Andrew Isenberg wrote, Mining in California: An Ecological History, which gives a detailed account of the California Gold rush and how it affected the California economy as well as California social environment during the 19th century. Isenberg conveys his argument in two parts throughout the book the economic side as well as the social side.
The California Gold Rush in 1849 was the catalyst event for the state that earned them a spot in the U.S. union in 1850. This was not the first gold rush in North America; however, it was one of the most important gold rush events. The story of how the gold was discovered and the stories of the 49ers are well known. Men leaving their families in the East and heading West in hopes of striking it rich are the stories that most of us heard about when we learn about the California Gold Rush. Professors and scholars over the last two decades from various fields of study have taken a deeper look into the Gold Rush phenomena. When California joined the Union in 1850 it helped the U.S. expand westward just as most Americans had intended to do. The event of the Gold Rush can be viewed as important because it led to a national railroad. It also provided the correct circumstances for successful entrepreneurship, capitalism, and the development modern industrialization. The event also had a major influence on agriculture, economics, and politics.
The Gold Rush was one of the most influential times in California History. During the four years from 1848-1852, 400,000 new people flooded into the state. People from many countries and social classes moved to California, and many of them settled in San Francisco. All this diversity in one place created a very interesting dynamic. California during the Gold Rush, was a place of colliding ideals. The 49ers came from a very structured kind of life to a place where one was free to make up her own rules.
The confederation of Canada, a process which took over a century long, with many notable events and people who were involved in forming what we know as Canada today. The confederation all started in 1763, with The Royal Proclamation. Britain decided that pacifying First nation was the best alternative to a costlier war. This proclamation created a boundary between the First Nations and the British Colonies. In the next 50 years or so, the Quebec Act, which revoked the Royal Proclamation, and Treaty of Paris, which recognized British North America to independently exist, and the Constitutional Act, happened. Although these were major events in Canada’s history, The War of 1812, was one of the most notable events that lead to Canada’s Confederation.
As most folks do, when I think of the term “Gold Rush”, it conjures up images of the West! Images of cowboys and crusty old miners ruthlessly and savagely staking their claims. Immigrants coming by boat, folks on foot, horseback, and covered wagon form all over the US to rape and pillage the land that was newly acquired from Mexico through the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo… California. But let me tell you about a gold rush of another kind, in another place, even more significant. It was the actual first documented discovery of gold in the United States! Fifty years earlier…in North Carolina!
Martel, Lynn. “History Glitters in Yukon; Lure of the Klondike Gold Rush Continues to Draw Conclusions to the North.” The Vancouver Sun April 28, 2012. ProQuest. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.
There have been many discoveries that have shaped our nation as a whole. Discoveries have allowed our country to thrive and become one of the most powerful nations in the world. When we look back at our nation's rich history, it is clear to see that there was one discovery in particular that had a vast impact on the United States; the discovery was gold in California. It was in this vastly unoccupied territory that the American dream was forever changed and California emerged as a powerful state busting at the seams. The California Gold Rush shaped California into the state that it is today. California is defined by its promise of entrepreneurial success and its acceptance and encouragement of obtaining the American Dream.
However, there was something else going on in the world. The mass migration of typically young single men making their way to California to look for gold. This was known as the gold rush. Thousands upon thousands of men showed up from all over the world to strike it rich. In august of 1849 some two hundred ships clogged the waterways due to men abandoning them. This led to California creating a trade network linking the pacific coastlines. This opening up the market for new trades. That of cereal from Chile, Mexican coffee and cocoa, potatoes from Australia, and even sugar and rice from china. It was a more even trade because everyone involved had a singular mission, find gold. These mass migrations saw not only natives from san Francisco but