A Multicultural Gold Rush

A Multicultural Gold Rush. . News of the 1848 gold discoveries in California traveled around the globe, stirring up thousands of dreams of instant wealth. A slow trickle at first, by 1849 gold seekers rushed in from China, Australia, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Chili, Brazil, Canada, Russia, throughout Europe, and from every state in the United States. From the South, some slaves escaped to California, while others purchased their freedom with riches found in the Gold Fields., The Gold Rush may represent one of the Nation’s largest early multicultural events. In an environment with little regulation except for laws made up by the participants, not all cultural groups fared well. Great tragedy befell the Hispanics and Native Americans, many of whom were in the area before the Rush began. As more and more people poured into California, racial prejudice intensified. Despite the tides of distrust that washed across California and Sacramento, rich blends of multicultural experience endure in the area’s history.