An analysis of U.S. Geological Survey data compiled by SD Bullion in 2023 found that a total of 10,373 gold-bearing locations have ... the California gold rush caused a wave of destruction.

Contact with the new settlers brought about serious disruptions to the native way of life. The gold rush of 1848 brought still more devastation. Violence, disease and loss overwhelmed the tribes.

Sandwiched between the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and the Civil War in 1861, the California Gold Rush is considered by many historians to be the most significant event of the first half of the ...