A gold rush takes place when seams of this Métal invaluable in an area are discovered. The discovery by a geologist or a gold digger allows the propagation of the news and attracts many men in fast search of fortune. People could take part in contests to find gold or a ground to be able to settle there.
The rushes towards the Or of the 19th century often caused the rapid growth of cities starting from hamlets, like Dawson with the Yukon during the Gold rush of Klondike: time that the Canadian government does not grant the statute of city to this one, it had passed from a few hundreds to 30.000 inhabitants and had gone down again to approximately 5000. The exploitation of the gold mines of Siberia attracted many pioneers in the town of Irkoutsk as of the time Tsar ist.
Chronological list of the gold rushes
California, 1848
See also: History of Californie#La Gold rush in California
Discovered of gold with Sutter' S Millet (still for a few months under the Mexican domination). Continuation of the “Conquest of the West”. Thanks to the telegraph, the news was diffused in the whole world rather quickly. The gold rush of California attracted adventurers of the whole world. Europeans passed by the Cape Horn to arrive at San Francisco six months later. Many clippers remained with quay and ended up rotting in bay of San Francisco. The city as for it knew a very fast population growth.
Only in 1848 - 1849, 76 tons of gold are extracted in California. It is estimated however that only 10 to 20% of the gold reserves of California were exploited. But this gold is hidden deeply and its extraction would be too expensive.
La gold rush transforms California radically: the surge of the population causes an extraordinary population growth. A new company is born, primarily male, young and cosmopolitan. What does not prevent xenophobia and the brawls in the camps of minors.
Australia, 1851
Colombia-British (Canada), middle of the 19th century
Gold Hill, Colorado, beginning in 1859
The exploitation of the gold of the Colorado was more difficult than that of California. Many cities are given up and become city-phantoms.
River Klondike, Yukon, 1897 - 1899
See also: Gold rush of Klondike
The gold rush of Klondike was a gold rush frantic which accompagnea of an important immigration in the area of Klondike, close to Dawson City, in the Yukon (Canada); after gold was discovered there at the end of the 19th century.
At the summer 1896, important gold bearing deposits are found in the Rabbit brook in affluent of the Klondike river. Less than one year after, the most important gold rush of the History was going to begin attracting to 100.000 people in the area from Dawson City. During two years, Klondike were going to attract all those which dreamed to make quickly fortune in North America. It inspired by many writers, of which most famous is Jack London.
Names and Fairbanks, Alaska, end 19th century
Culture
The gold rushes contributed to create a Représentation of the gold digger, included in many works.
Cartoon
- the character of fiction Balthazar Picsou discovered its first nugget in the Klondike after having taken part in several gold rushes in the world. There obliges Goldie O' Gilt to remain one month in the forest for the refunding of its nugget (history invented by Keno Don Rosa).
- Lucky Luke, Klondike , Lucky Productions, 08/1996, by Yann and Jean Léturgie according to Morris, ISBN 2-940012-95-4
Cinema
- Gold rush of Charles Chaplin.
Literature
- James A. Michener, Alaska: The belt of fire (volume 2), editions Pocket Presses, ISBN 2-266-04202-5, work reporting the gold rush of the Klondike
- Blaise Cendrars: its novel Gold tells the ruin of Suter because of the gold rush in California.
- Jack London with its novel the Call of the forest
- Nicolas Basket maker with his novel gold under snow.
See too
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