California Gold Rush Analysis

This week’s lecture focused on issues that arose due to the California Gold Rush. Peggy O’Day explained that during this time many people were pouring into California with the hope of gaining wealth through the mining of gold. The state greatly encouraged mining because it soon became the basis for their economy. Therefore, California passed many mining laws, such as one that gave hydraulic miners rights as prospectors. Hydraulic mining uses high-pressure water to move rock materials in order to facilitate the finding of gold. O’Day explained that the problem with hydraulic mining was that it was depositing waste into streams and rivers. In Assembling California, John McPhee, wrote “As more and more hydraulic detritus comes out of the mountains,
the normal elevation of the river rises seven feet” (66). McPhee further supported O’Day’s statement that the debris from hydraulic mining was going to our rivers, causing the elevation of hem to rise. I can make a T-W connection here because many of the rivers in the State of California are brown and grayish, not blueish and clear.
This is because of all the waste that has been put into them, thus causing the elevation of rivers, such as the Sacramento River to rise. O’Day stated that this issue caused California to enact the 1884 Sawyer’s Decision, which prevented miners from dumping debris into rivers. However, the problem went well beyond the elevation of the rivers, because another issue that arose was the contamination of water. In The Truth About Fracking, Chris Mooney wrote, “When multiple ‘fracks’ are done in multiple, adjacent wells, however, the risk for contaminating drinking water may rise” (8). Mooney, understood that each time the hydraulic mining occurred, there was a great chance of contaminating the water supply. I can make a T-S connection here because I have noticed that often times people don’t realize that by doing something bad, it puts us one step closer to contamination. For example, often times I forget that by spraying hairspray, or being close to chemicals, such as pesticides, I am putting myself one step closer to contaminating my body and developing cancer. Therefore, I think people need to realize what the real value
is. Peggy O’Day stated that the hype of the Gold Rush and the use of hydraulic mining caused people to forget the where the real gold was centered at, water. After the Gold Rush water was rights were sold to farmers who further prospered from water. I think this all connects to Core because it connects to the Quantitative Assignment #2, in regards to how even if water is available, it is not always healthy. In addition, one can see that water is a very valuable resource.