However, like the other counties in this list, there are a few towns that most people probably have not heard of. Tuolumne County was a hotbed of activity in 1851, with notable towns already making the map like Sonora, and Jamestown, towns that would be some of the most prominent in the region, and still exist today. Find high-quality stock photos that you wont find. The seat was moved to Mokelumne Hill in the early 1850’s, and by 1860 Double Springs was all but abandoned. Search from 30 California Gold Rush Map stock photos, pictures and royalty-free images from iStock.

However, other towns in the area were becoming more prominent in the 1850’s and they all coveted the role of county seat. Double Springs is the perfect example of a town that was important at the time the map was made, but quickly vanished as other towns rose to prominence.ĭouble Springs was made the county seat in 1850 and by 1853 it was a bustling community. If you are wondering why you have not heard of Double Springs, a town seemingly so important that it is the only one that made it into the 1851 map of Calaveras county, you are not alone. By 1852, the county had been subdivided into Yuba, Placer, Nevada, and Sierra Counties.Ĭalaveras County, California in 1851 Double Springs What made the California gold rush a significant socialand. The effect of the discovery was electric, triggering a stampede of miners from around the world headed to California to find instant wealth. Yuba Countyįormed in 1850, Yuba County was one of the original counties of California. Gold was discovered in California by the carpenter James Marshall on a fork of the American River in January 1848. Most of these counties have since been divided into smaller counties so today’s map looks much different. In 1851, the majority of mining and prospecting was happening in the central and southern “Sierra Nevada Goldfields”, which included Yuba, El Dorado, Calaveras, and Tuolumne counties. The state covered a vast area, relatively few people lived there at the time, so the original counties were much fewer, and much larger than the current counties that divide California. America, with the Tracks of His Majestys Sloop Discovery and Armed, 1798We print high. However, the map does illustrate what towns were creating a buzz at the time, many of which have become obscure ghost towns that little is known about.Ĭalifornia became a state in September of 1850. The California Gold Rush, A Chart Shewing Part of the Coast of N.W. For a more comprehensive exploration of California gold rush history, please see the reference section provided, or visit the library’s online catalog.The map is hardly complete, and many towns that were established prior to 1851 that would later become famous are not on the map. The following images are meant to provide a glimpse of this complex duality. California is still the “golden state” with a vibrant and diverse population, robust economy, and breathtaking vistas, but it also wrestles with a legacy of racism, inequality, and an altered landscape. But many would stay and call California home. Some would “make their pile” and return home with their riches others would return home no more well off than when they set out for the gold fields.

Vast wealth would be extracted, both in gold and other natural resources.

At other times, xenophobia and racism would emerge and lead to violence and discriminatory laws. Oftentimes they worked and lived harmoniously, side by side in the rapidly developing towns and cities. People from a variety of cultures, speaking several different languages all converged in the gold fields. This sudden influx of people, destructive gold mining processes, and the rapid growth of cities, had a significant impact. Thousands of people from all around the world flocked to the gold fields looking to strike it rich. When gold was discovered on January 24, 1848, it set in motion events that forever changed California’s existing cultures, population, and environment.

California gold rush map