A gold rush is a period when a lot of workers migrate to the areas where there have been commercial discoveries of gold. Gold rushes have taken place in various parts of the world throughout history such as, the United States, Canada, Australia, and Brazil.
The gold rush was a time of great optimism in which many people tried their luck in order to become wealthy. It was also a competitive time, with people trying to out run each other in the prospect of finding gold. They also helped spur cultures in the cities by initiating economic growth.
Gold rushes usually start with the discovery of gold by an individual that becomes popular. Gold is usually found in streambeds, sand or gravel, requiring only simple skills and instruments to be cleared. When the gold rush started, simple instruments such as pans were used. However, over the period, proper mining techniques were introduced such as hydraulic mining, which allowed mining on a larger industrial scale.
Many people travelled to areas where gold was discovered, to try their hand at it. People left behind families and loved ones in search of wealth. During the California Gold Rush, which was one of the most famous gold rushes in history, around 300,000 gold prospectors travelled to California. Many faced serious hardships on the way as there were no modern methods of travelling, and some even died during the journey. Some of them even faced various deadly diseases on their way, such as cholera and chicken pox.
As with all the gold rushes, the sudden increase in population was a burden on the infrastructure of the city and many people remained homeless. The living conditions were undesirable and people usually lived in tents or wood shanties. If there was an announcement of gold discovery in an area, people used to collaborate with each other and used to build tents or camps there. There were no proper sanitation or garbage disposal systems, and toilets were merely holes in the ground.
According to historical records, the social atmosphere in these camps was quite adverse. Stealing and looting was the norm, and so was drinking and gambling. Fights often used to break out between prospectors, which often lead to death. The prices were very high in these areas, and people could not afford to buy good food, let alone indulge in luxuries.
Since gold prospecting was not a stable business that could bring in money everyday, many women used to go to work while their husbands were out in the search of gold. As women were not allowed to work as gold miners, many became businesspersons, entrepreneurs, or held low-level jobs. A number of women were widowed during this time, as they lost their husbands to mining accidents.
The gold rush came as a good time for some people and bad for others. A few people were able to earn a fortune, and became wealthy; many ended with only a little more than what they had started with.
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