Gold was discovered in 1848 at Sutter’s Mill, near Sacramento, California. Far from a celebration, the discovery proved a disaster for John Sutter, who was more interested in cultivating his land. Once the word got out, waves of eager prospectors overland and by sea. Ships were abandoned in California ports as crews joined the rush. Many who made the trip were unprepared and some entrepreneurs became rich selling necessities along the westward trail or in the gold camps.
Most gold prospectors never became rich, barely finding enough gold to pay for their daily living expenses. Collectively, they were known as the 49ers. When the 49ers departed, they left behind a changed California. Mining companies owned and operated most of the productive mines. San Francisco, which had been a small port town, became a large, prosperous city. Prospectors traveled from boom town to boom town in their quest to strike it rich. The California Gold Rush was followed by similar gold strikes in New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, the Yukon, and Alaska.