2. The Chinese
By 1852, more than 20,000 poor, hungry, Chinese peasants pushed by overpopulation in China, had traveled across the Pacific Ocean to California for the gold rush. At first, the Chinese were welcomed and treated as a worthy class of new citizen. As gold became more scarce and difficult to find, attitudes toward them began to change.
Under Attack:
American miners called on the government to drive foreigners out of the goldfields. In 1852, the state legislature passed a law requiring foreign miners to pay a monthly fee for a license to mine. As the tax collectors arrived, most foreigners left. The Chinese, however, paid the tax and stayed on. Miners continued to try to make them leave the mining camps by cutting off their queues [braids]. They also burned their shacks and beat them. Many Chinese left the mining camps and opened restaurants, laundries, farms, and stores in San Francisco. There were so many living in one section, it became known as Chinatown. Today, it is one of the largest Chinese communities in the US. Many also went to work on the Transcontinental Railroad.
Legacy:
When the reality of not gaining wealth from the gold mines set in, the Chinese stayed on in California despite the prejudice against them. They were hard workers who benefited California and other western states in mining, farming, and hard labor laying down railroad tracks for the Transcontinental Railroad. Many times they were the ones that had the extremely dangerous job of placing explosives to blast through mountains that tracks could not be constructed over. In the end, the Chinese helped build the west. They brought with them arts, tastes, scents, and sounds of their culture.

4. The Mormons
In 1846, wagon trains of Mormons looking for a new home came to what is now the Great Salt Lake in Utah. It was dry and desert like. No one would want to settle it, but the Mormons did. Mormons were members of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Joseph Smith taught that he received The Book of Mormon from an angel. He believed that he was to create a community of believers who would serve God faithfully.
Persecution:
Smith’s followers lived in close communities, working hard and sharing their goods. Wherever they settled: New York, Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois – their neighbors persecuted them for their teachings and belief in polygamy – having more than one wife (this is no longer practiced). In 1844, in Illinois, a mob killed their leader. After Smith’s death, Brigham Young took over as their leader. Young decided to move his community to Utah. There they might be left alone to follow their faith in peace.
Legacy:
When they arrived at the Great Salt Lake, Young set up their settlement – Salt Lake City. By the time he died in 1877, Utah had 125,000 Mormons living in 500 settlements. To survive in the Utah desert, the Mormons had to adapt to new ways of farming. They built dams, canals, and irrigation ditches to carry water from mountain streams to their farms in the valley. Their methods were used by other settlers who settled in dry regions. Salt Lake City was an important stop for travelers in need of food and supplies. To the Mormons, their greatest legacy was their faith. The Mormon Church has grown into a worldwide religion with more than 11 million members.

5. The Prospectors – 49ers
In 1848, a carpenter named James Marshall was building a sawmill on the American River in northern California for John Sutter, who build Sutter’s Fort on what is now Sacramento, California. He spotted something shiny in the water. That something turned out to be gold. Sutter and Marshall tried to keep their find a secret, but the news somehow leaked out. As soon as they found out, people from across California dropped everything to race for the goldfields. Gold seekers and squatters overran Sutter’s land stealing and destroying his goods and livestock. Sutter was eventually left bankrupt from the event. By 1849, thousands of gold seekers motivated by fortune from around the world, even China, joined in the California gold rush. 2/3 of the 49ers were Americans prospecting [searching] for gold. Most were young men, but some women also came in search of fortune.
Life in the Mining Camps:
After the discovery of gold, mining camps popped up overnight. Miners would camp in canvas tents. Among the tents were drinking saloons, and gambling tables. Merchants made fortunes selling things like eggs and flour for quadruple the price. Since there were no police to keep order, camps were rough places. Miners fought over boundaries of their claims. “In 24 hours, we have had murders, accidents, bloody deaths, a mob, whippings, a hanging, an attempt at suicide, and a fatal duel.” – Louise Clappe.
Digging or panning for gold was hard work. Miners spent long days digging up mud, dirt, and stones while wading in icy streams. Relatively soon, the easy-to-find gold was gone. Most could not afford the trip home after it was all over.
Legacy:
By 1852, the gold rush was over. While it lasted, 250,000 people flooded to California. Between 1848 and 1870, warfare and disease reduced the number of Indians from 150,000 to 30,000. The prosperous legacy was that by 1850, California had enough people to become the first state in the far west.