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Before the discovery of gold, California was scarcely populated.
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The first general store opens at Sutter's Fort, near present-day Sacramento. The store was opened by Samuel Brannan, a Mormon leader.
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While building a lumber mill for John Sutter, James W. Marshall finds gold in the American River.
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The Californian reports on the discovery of gold. News of the gold discovery travels east, sparking the attention of the country.
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Gold is dicovered in the American River up near San Francisco. Samuel Brannan runs through the streets of San Francisco shouting "Gold, gold, gold from the American River!" Men from all over rush to the American River in hopes of finding gold.
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United States' President, James K. Polk, confirms the discovery of gold in California. This ignites a mass migration to California in hopes of finding gold and becoming rich.
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90,000 migrants rush to California in hopes of striking it rich. These people, known as 49ers, flocked to the goldmines in search of gold.
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In 1850, $41 million worth of gold has been mined from California land. San Francisco's population has grown, resulting in a population of more than 30,000 people.
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Gold begins to become more difficult to find. Miners are earning less money, and some migratnts begin to leave the goldfields.
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A new mining technique, Hydraulic mining, is invented. This technique uses high-powered water to break down rocks and land forms in search of gold. Hydraulic mining was invented to help miners find gold since the goldfields were drying up. This technique caused a lot of damage to the land.
