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New Colony
Swiss immigrant John Suttler got permission to start a colony, which later became a popular rest stop for American immigrants. -
Donner Party
The Donner Party was a group of Western travelers who went to California but were stranded in the Seirra Navada mountains during the winter. The party began its journey West in the Spring of 1846. -
Rescue Party
When the Donner Party reached the Seirra Navada Mountains they became trapped by heavy snows. with liitle food. A rescue party found the starving and freezing group (Donner Party) in February 1847. Of the original 87 travelers, 42 had died. -
Gold Discovery
Sutter sent a carpenter named James Marshall to build a sawmill next to a nearby river. While working Marshall glansed down and picked up a peace of what he was certain, gold. Sutter and Marshall wanted to keep the discovery a secret but soon the word got out and spread through out the country. -
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Forty-Niners
About 80,000 gold-seekers came to California, hoping to strike it rich. Most forty-niners braved long and often dangerous journeys to reach California. Most of the forty-niners first arrived in San Francisco which increased its population. The San Francisco port became a convenient trade center and shopping point for travelers. As a result, its population grew from around 800 in March 1848 to more than 25,000 by 1850. -
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Chinese move to California
Between 1849 and 1853 about 24,000 Chinese men moved to California. Chinese immagrants soon discovered that many Americans did not welcome them. In 1852, California placed a high monthly tax on all foreign miners. -
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Immagrants arrive In California
In 1849 alone, about 20,000 immagrants arrive in California not only from China but from Europe, Mexico, and South America. Like most American gold-seekers, these new arrivals intended to return home after they had made their fortune. -
31st State
During the Spanish and Mexican periods of settlement, California's population grew slowly. California's population explosion made it elgible for statehood only two years after being acquired by the United States. In 1850 California became the 31st state. -
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California Railroad
It was difficult to bring in and ship out goods so the answer to this isolation problem was to bring the railroad all the way to California. Completion of the transconstitutonal railroad at last gave California]ns the means to grow a stronger economy.
