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To: Terry Maloney who wrote (181764)	7/21/2002 4:42:10 PM
From: Tommaso	Respond to of 436258

I guess his assumption is that the people who joined the gold rush all got rich. My impression is that those who didn't die of disease or get shot mostly ended up in dead-end manual labor jobs. Here's what happened to John Sutter, who started it all: pbs.org

To: Terry Maloney who wrote (181764)	7/21/2002 4:51:52 PM
From: Tommaso	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 436258

More on how wonderful -G- the gold rush was: "By mid 1849, the easy gold was gone--but the 49ers kept coming. There was still gold in the riverbeds, but it was getting harder and harder to find. A typical miner spent 10 hours a day knee-deep in ice cold water, digging, sifting, washing. It was backbreaking labor that yielded less and less. As panning became less effective, the miners moved to more advanced techniques for extracting the precious metal. But it was a losing battle as the gold reserves were declining and the number of miners was increasing dramatically. The atmosphere of friendly camaraderie so prevalent a year or two earlier, was all but gone by 1850. Forty-niners who expected to make their fortune in a few days found themselves digging for month after month--year after year--with little to show for the effort. Frustration and depression was rampant. Frustration and disappointment eventually led to crime. Jails, unnecessary a few years earlier, were filled. Hangings became common--almost matter of fact. 49er John Bucroft "I take this opportunity of writing these few lines to you hoping to find you in good health. Me and Charley is sentenced to be hung at five o'clock for a robbery. Give my best to Frank and Sam." Many gave up the dream and went home to the east. Others stayed on--just one more year they hoped. One more year and they'd strike it rich. And there were the occasional lucky strikes well into the 1850s--just enough good news to encourage the masses to continue digging. Most failed every day, but they kept on--year after year. Dejected, disappointed, many would never return home to loved ones back east--they would die in California, broken by a dream that never came true"