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Gold nuggets were discovered in Sacramento Valley.
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President James K. Polk's inaugural address reported an "abundance of gold" in California.
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The Gold Rush peaked, with $81 million in gold extracted.
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The developement of hydraulic mining increased success for a time, but destroyed the landscape in the process.
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The gold rush eventually declined, with apporximately $45 million in gold removed per year.
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By the end of the decade, California's population had grown to about 380,000.