The California Gold Rush of 1849
It was here, in this sleepy valley, that the American Dream was redefined. An accidental discovery near the dark American River would forever change a young nation. The simple life would no longer be enough. In its place would come a new kind of lifestyle: enterprising, open, free. The New American Dream: Getting Rich; make a fortune—quickly.
Instant wealth was here for the taking. Across the United States, young people made the decision to go to California. Every city, every village would send its brightest, its strongest, to California, eagerly awaiting their triumphant return home. They came from Europe, Asia and South America in search of instant riches.
It was one of the greatest adventures the world had ever seen.
In the early 1840s, California was a distant outpost that only a handful of Americans had ever seen. The sleepy port that would become San Francisco had only a few hundred residents.
One of the wealthiest people in the region was John Sutter, an affable Swiss immigrant who came to California in 1839 with the intention of building his own private empire. Sutter soon built a fort, amassed 12,000 head of cattle, and hired hundreds of workers. His most prolific harvest was debt. He owed money to creditors as far away as Russia. But Sutter was a man with a dream; a dream of a vast agricultural domain that he would control.
By the mid-1840s, more and more Americans were arriving in California by wagon and boat. Sutter welcomed the newcomers, saw them as subjects of his own kingdom. But Sutter had no idea that the trickle would become a flood, a deluge of humanity that would destroy his dream. Sutter’s ruin began 50 miles northeast of his fort on the American River. In late 1847, Sutter sent James Marshall and about 20 men to the river to build a sawmill and provide lumber for Sutter’s growing ranch. The sawmill was nearly finished when a flash of something caught Marshall’s eye. It was January 24, 1848.
james marshal
“I reached down and picked it up, my heart racing because I was sure it was gold. The piece was about half the size and shape of a pea. Then I saw another one.”
After making the largest find in Western history, Marshall and the other workers went back to work. But they kept stumbling on more gold. Still in disbelief, Marshall took samples to Sutter’s Fort. Sutter and Marshall tried the shiny metal as best they could: a tattered encyclopedia gave them clues. It was gold, they concluded, but neither of them were happy about it.
Sutter was building a farm fief—he didn’t want the competition that gold diggers might bring. And Marshall had to build a sawmill: the gold diggers would get in his way. So they made a pact to keep the discovery a secret.
But it wasn’t long before stories of gold seeped into the surrounding countryside. However, there was no rush to the American River. The news of Marshall’s gold was just another tall tale, too unlikely to be believed.
The gold rush needed a boost, and Sam Brannan was the man. A San Francisco merchant, Brannan was a skilled craftsman of exaggeration. Eventually, the gold rush would make him the richest person in California, but Sam Brannan never mined gold. He had a different plan: a plan that he set in motion by running through the streets of San Francisco screaming about Marshall’s discovery. As proof, Brannan held up a bottle of gold dust. It was a masterstroke that would spark the gold rush and make Brannan rich.
Brannan deeply understood the laws of supply and demand. His wild ride through San Francisco came just after he had bought every pick, pan, and shovel in the region. A metal skillet that sold for twenty cents a few days earlier was now available at Brannan for fifteen dollars. In just nine weeks he earned thirty-six thousand dollars.
By the winter of 1848, rumors of a gold strike had spread east across the country, but few Easterners believed it. It was a time when rumors were dismissed and government officials were revered. The gold discovery needed validation, and President James Polk delivered it in early December 1848:
President James Polk:
“The accounts of the abundance of gold in that territory are of such an extraordinary character that they would hardly be believed if they were not corroborated by authentic reports from public service officials.”
Polk’s confirmation reached deep into the soul of millions. His simple words were a powerful call to action. Farmers abandoned their fields; merchants closed their shops; the soldiers abandoned their posts and made plans for California. Newspapers fueled the fires.
Horace Greeley of the New York Tribune:
“Fortune lies on the surface of the earth as abundant as the mud in our streets. We expect an addition within the next four years equal to at least a billion dollars to the gold in circulation.”
In early 1849, the gold rush was epidemic. Discussions about gold could be heard on almost every kitchen table in the country. The young men explained to their wives that a year’s difference would be worth it.
Miner Melvin Paden:
“Jane, I let you and the boys get a little property by the sweat of my brow so we could have a place of our own, so I wouldn’t be a dog to others.”
people for a longer time.
They said goodbye and headed west in unison: thousands of young adventurers with a collective dream: a year of pain in exchange for a life of riches. They were nicknamed “forty-nine” because they left home in 1849. When they would return was an entirely different matter.
By mid-1849, the easy gold was gone, but the 49ers kept coming. There was still gold in the riverbeds, but it was getting harder to find. A typical miner spent 10 hours a day knee-deep in icy water, digging, sifting, washing. It was exhausting work that paid less and less.
As panning became less effective, miners moved on to more advanced techniques to extract the precious metal. But it was a losing battle as gold reserves were declining and the number of miners was increasing dramatically. The atmosphere of friendly camaraderie that had prevailed a year or two before had all but disappeared by 1850. Forty-nine who expected to make their fortunes in a few days found themselves digging month after month, year after year, with little to do. show for the effort. Frustration and depression were rampant.
Desperate, many 49ers turned to poker and other forms of gambling in hopes of snatching up the quick fortunes that had eluded them on the rivers. When that didn’t work, many turned to crime. The jails, unnecessary a few years earlier, soon filled up. Hangings became common, almost in fact.
49er John Bucroft
“I take this opportunity to write you these few lines in the hope of finding you in good health. Charley and I are sentenced to be hanged at five o’clock for a robbery. Give my best wishes to Frank and Sam.”
Many abandoned the dream and went home to the East. Others stayed, just one more year, they waited. One more year and they would be rich. And there were occasional lucky breaks well into the 1850s, good news enough to encourage the masses to keep digging. Most failed every day, but kept going, year after year. Despondent, disappointed, many would never return home to their loved ones in the East; they would die in California, broken by a dream that never came true.
Although the gold in the California hills has finally run out, the impact of the gold rush era lives on. California was shaped by the adventurers who stayed behind, to form the idea of what California is today: a place that accepts and nurtures risk takers.
John Sutter never saw an opportunity for gold. He was unable to alter his vision and left the state. But when Sutter and others like him left, the new Californians came and kept coming. People who know how to adapt to constant changes; people who saw opportunities around every corner; people who longed for a more exciting life and weren’t afraid to grab it.
It was a dream that very few realized, but it is a dream that lasts.
Internet and its marketing capabilities
On April 30, 1995, the government and organizations that built this system from scratch released it, and Internet traffic passed into the hands of commercial networks. While the NSF still funds research and sets guidelines for network providers, descendants of phone companies and other organizations will build and maintain new infrastructure. The scientists who developed network technology in the 1960s knew that what they were building would be much larger than themselves; No one, however, could have predicted the explosion in Internet access and interest in recent years.
The original designers didn’t even think that email would be something that people would want. Business networks, students and even internet cafes are quick to
register and be part of a technological revolution. It is important for us to remember that the real revolution took place two decades ago — today
technology just rides the wave of yesteryear.
Internet marketing capabilities are compared to the California Gold Rush.
Who was the REAL entrepreneur of the California Gold Rush?
The answer is Sam Brannan.
“The Gold Rush needed a boost, and Sam Brannan was the man. A San Francisco merchant, Brannan was a skilled craftsman of hype. Eventually, the Gold Rush
It would make him the richest person in California, but Sam Brannan never mined gold.
He had a different plan: a plan that he set in motion by running through the streets of San Francisco screaming about Marshall’s discovery. As proof, Brannan
he held up a bottle of gold dust. It was a masterstroke that would spark the gold rush and make Brannan rich.
Brannan deeply understood the laws of supply and demand. His wild ride through San Francisco came just after he had bought every pick, pan, and shovel in the region. A metal skillet that sold for twenty cents a few days earlier was now available at Brannan for fifteen dollars. In just nine weeks he made thirty-six thousand dollars.”
Who was the REAL internet marketing entrepreneur?
The answer is Bill Gates and Microsoft.
Bill Gates did not choose to produce personal computers (the gold in the gold rush). He chose to produce the best and most used software to make the staff
computers operate (as do Brannan’s picks, shovels, and pans).
And that’s where the Internet Gold Rush is today: professional software to help strike gold in Internet marketing.
So, the geniuses of the California Gold Rush and the Internet Marketing Gold Rush were Sam Brannan and Bill Gates.
We at the Software R Us Club believe that a golden streak is in providing professional software to allow everyone the opportunity to participate in the Internet marketing gold rush.
And remember… Sam Brannan and Bill Gates were right.
