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(powerful music)

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(racy music)

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(calm music)

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- [Voiceover] It was
a splendid population

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for all the slow,
sleepy, sluggish brains

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lost stayed at home.

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You never find that sort
of people among pioneers.

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It cannot build pioneers out
of that sort of material.

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It was that population
that gave to California

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a name for getting up
astounding enterprises

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and rushing them through
with a magnificent

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dashing, daring
and a recklessness

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of cost or consequences

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for which she bares
unto this day.

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And when she projects
a new surprise,

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the grave world smiles
as usual and says,

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well, that is
California all over.

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- [Voiceover] No other
state had come into being

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quite like California.

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Before California's
admission to the union,

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each state had to
pay its dues first

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by spending years
as a territory.

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The US Government required a
population of 60,000 residents

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before territory could become
eligible for statehood.

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Immigration to California
prior to the Gold Rush

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had been so slow that it
would have taken decades

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for the territory to
reach the 60,000 mark.

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Once the quiet discovery
of gold at Sutter's Mill

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broke loose in the
early months of 1848

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and the word spread
across the globe,

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the booming people
traversing the nation

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and the oceans to
enter California

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made the population
explode in a way

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no other place on earth
had ever encountered

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up until that time.

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When it came time for
California to become a state,

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congress wanted the eastern
border to be at the crest

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of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

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This did not sit well
with the Californians

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because they knew all too well

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that the Sierras
were full of gold.

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They drew their own border

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running in a line just to the
east of the Sierra Nevada's.

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They were keen on keeping
all the gold that their state

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had to offer.

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To the south,

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they drew their border
along the Colorado River

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out of concerns for water.

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Congress was reluctant to agree

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but feared that if they did not,

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they would be at risk at losing
all of the territory west

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of the Colorado Mountains.

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They could not risk
California attempting to form

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its own republic.

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California got to
create its own borders

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and the United States brought

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its 31st state into the union.

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The spoils of the Mexican
American War were plentiful

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for Americans in terms of land.

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They purchased
California along with

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Alta California, New
Mexico which contain

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what would one day
become Arizona,

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Nevada, and Utah.

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And they set Texas' southern
border at the Rio Grande

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once and for all.

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While Mexico's defeat stung
the pride of that nation,

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they had never
colonized their lands

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to their full potential.

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California and the neighboring
territories were sparsely

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populated at vast by
the Mexican people.

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One can only speculate
whether Mexico would have

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signed the treaty
of Guadalupe Hidalgo

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if they had known that
just a few days earlier,

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gold had been discovered
in the land that they had

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fought to keep.

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The war may very
well have continued

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and America's landscape might

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have been drastically different.

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The growth and rapid change
in California can be best

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symbolized by one of
its most bustling cities

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during the gold
rush, San Francisco.

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San Francisco grew
so fast that often

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the legs it was standing on
could not support the weight

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the city had to bear.

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Before the gold rush,
this sleepy little city

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had less than 1,000 inhabitants.

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A few nuggets of gold created
a shock wave around the globe.

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The city was hurriedly built
to accommodate all of those

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that flooded into the bay area.

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The city would pay the price
for such hasty construction.

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It would burn to the
ground, be rebuilt again,

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only to reach the same
fate as it had before.

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Ships in the harbor
that were abandoned

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by their gold hungry
crews would often be suck

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and made into landfill helping
to further extend the city

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out into the bay or they
would be used as storage

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for a city that was growing
at an alarming rate.

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The harbor would be
so crowded with ships

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that it sometimes took days
for crews to unload their cargo

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and passengers.

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Some of the abandoned
ships that were not turned

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into landfill would
be disassembled,

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and those timbers would be used

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in the hasty
construction of buildings

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such us inns, dry
good stores, saloons,

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restaurants, and hotels.

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All just to accommodate
the ever growing number

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of miners entering the city.

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The people came first
but the thought towards

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the infrastructure they
would need came second.

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If you left Gold Rush era
San Francisco for a month

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and returned, you
would return to a city

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you could barely recognize.

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Change and growth were
happening at a dizzying pace.

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Those immortal words
of Sam Brannan,

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"Gold!

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"Gold in the American river,"

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would ring out across
the world and people

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of every nationality would
crowd into San Francisco.

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The small sleepy city
grew seemingly overnight.

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The rapid growth and the
transient nature of the people

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who inhabited the
city would forever

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be a city planner's nightmare.

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- [Voiceover] "There is a
fast mode of doing business

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"in California which
had to be adopted,

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"to keep up with times."

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- [Voiceover] The
city was booming

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and the rush for gold
permeated every aspect

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of the lifestyle of the
California in the 1850's.

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Fortunes were made
and lost overnight

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and the landscape of
one of its great cities

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was fluctuating
right along with it.

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From the start of San
Francisco's accelerated growth

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at the beginning of
the Gold Rush in 1848

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to just three years
later in 1851,

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various parts of the
city would be consumed

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by six great fires.

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The first place occurs
on December 24th, 1848,

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and it would take over
one million dollars

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worth of property
and reduce it to ash.

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A mere six months later,
a second fire breaks out

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in the early hours
of the morning.

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And this time, the flames take
three blocks of the city's

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most valued buildings
at a cost of around

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four million dollars.

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This fire was
suspected to be arson

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and would cause
several city ordinances

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to be put into immediate action.

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These ordinances
were put in place

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in the hopes that
they would keep

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any future blazes in check

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by being both a deterrent

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to anyone who might
think of setting one

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and to keep the citizens
of the city better prepared

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if another blaze
should breakout.

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Households were required
to keep six buckets

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of water on hand and
that they're ready

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in the event of another fire.

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Citizens were also expected
to assist in the extinguishing

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of fires or to help in
the removal of items

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from a burning building or a
building that was in danger

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of catching fire.

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If they refuse to this charge,
each citizen could be fined

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no less than $5 but
no more than 100.

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Despite these measures,
the blazes continued.

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Just one month
later on June 14th,

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a third major fire broke
out inside the city.

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This time the cause of the
fire was a defective chimney

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in a bakery.

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The wind was blowing that
morning and it did not take long

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for several blocks of the city

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to become engulfed in flames

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and lost to any
hope of salvation.

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Slowly but surely, San
Franciscans began to realize

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that they could not keep
constructing buildings

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and live in a way that they did.

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Fireproof brick buildings
were more expensive to erect

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than the more
traditional wooden ones,

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but in the long run they
became the cheaper option

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because of their stability
and resistance to the flame.

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Some houses would be
erected with walls

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over two to three feet
thick of solid brick.

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In addition to the changing
tide of the architectural style,

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more firefighting
departments began to form

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but still the city of San
Francisco would see more fires.

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On the anniversary of the
first great fire of the city,

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a sixth blaze would occur.

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This time it was estimated
that there was more damage

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from this one fire than
from all the others

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that came before.

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Ont his particular occasion,

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the blaze begins in a
paint and upholstery store

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that was located on the
south side of the plaza.

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Yet again, malfeasance
was suspected.

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And again, to aid in
the destruction, the wind was blowing.

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The wooden planked
streets are consumed

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and the wind soon
carries the fire

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into the business district.

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It was said that the
light from the fire

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could be seen as far
as 100 miles out sea.

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In a matter of only 10 hours,

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between 1,500 and 2,000 houses
had been completely lost.

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An 18 blocks of the
main district are completely destroyed

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by the sixth fire.

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The damage extended
three quarters of a mile

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north to south and a third
of a mile east to west.

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The total damages amount to
more than 12 million dollars.

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Only five brick buildings
in the areas hit

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would survive the flames.

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Not even the fireproof buildings
could escape the inferno.

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Still the city and its citizen's
resilience shines through

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and they continue on.

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Fires were not the only events
that would test the metal

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of the city of San Francisco
and its inhabitants.

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The city would face a
banking collapse in 1855

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that would see the citizens
of the city panicking

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and rushing to the
doors of their banks

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demanding that they'd be
allowed to withdraw their funds.

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Banking was a relatively
new concept to be introduced

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to California.

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Before the Gold Rush, the
hide and tallow trade ruled

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the California coastal commerce.

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When Mexico
controlled California,

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sailors from around
the world would swap

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their finished goods for
the prepared cattle hides

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and tallow that was plentiful.

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The hides would then
be safely stored

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below the decks of the ships.

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This direct exchange
eliminated the need for a bank

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to be present.

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The tallow will be taken
to South America to be sold

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and made into soap and candles.

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And the hides will
be taken back east

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to be made into
finished leather goods

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such as shoes and boots.

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With the discovery of
gold in California,

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the need for these new
found riches to be stored

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in a secure place skyrocketed.

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00:13:35,230 --> 00:13:38,366
But in those days, the
term banker could mean

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anyone who had possession
of a secure safe.

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They legally could go
into business as a bank.

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Once again though, the
Gold Rush illustrates

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how it's a major catalyst
for change in the lifestyle

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and way of doing business
for the people living there.

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The innovation and
adaptation of the people

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in a rapidly
changing environment

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was a sight to behold.

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One of the few banks that
escaped the damage of the panic

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was Lucas, Turner and Company,

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a Saint Louis based operation.

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The San Francisco branch
was being managed by a man

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named William Tecumseh Sherman.

253
00:14:17,764 --> 00:14:19,564
In just a few short years

254
00:14:19,564 --> 00:14:22,094
the nation would come
to know this man's name

255
00:14:22,097 --> 00:14:25,299
as one of the leading
generals of the Civil War.

256
00:14:25,297 --> 00:14:27,365
He would lead thousands of men

257
00:14:27,364 --> 00:14:31,064
into perilous battle
and emerge victorious.

258
00:14:31,064 --> 00:14:32,664
For generations after,

259
00:14:32,664 --> 00:14:35,732
many in the south would
recollect with much disdain

260
00:14:35,730 --> 00:14:37,830
Sherman's march to the sea

261
00:14:37,829 --> 00:14:39,897
where he took his
troops of the Union Army

262
00:14:39,896 --> 00:14:43,566
from the captured city of
Atlanta to the port of Savannah.

263
00:14:43,564 --> 00:14:46,899
They destroyed almost all
that crossed their path,

264
00:14:46,896 --> 00:14:50,096
military targets as well
as civilian property

265
00:14:50,097 --> 00:14:52,631
and the south's infrastructure.

266
00:14:52,630 --> 00:14:55,799
Years later, upon recounting
his time as a bank manager

267
00:14:55,796 --> 00:14:59,066
in San Francisco, he
was quoted as saying--

268
00:14:59,064 --> 00:15:02,064
- [Voiceover] "I can handle a
hundred thousand men in battle

269
00:15:02,064 --> 00:15:04,064
"and take the city of the sun,

270
00:15:04,064 --> 00:15:06,331
"but I'm afraid to manage a lot

271
00:15:06,330 --> 00:15:08,770
"in the swamp of San Francisco."

272
00:15:10,064 --> 00:15:12,264
- [Voiceover] Apparently,
the unpredictable nature

273
00:15:12,264 --> 00:15:14,564
of the city was
powerful enough to cause

274
00:15:14,564 --> 00:15:18,633
even a man such as Sherman
to become unsure of himself

275
00:15:18,629 --> 00:15:20,399
if only for a moment.

276
00:15:24,130 --> 00:15:27,099
Sherman would also be pulled
onto the city's committee

277
00:15:27,097 --> 00:15:31,167
of vigilance for a time
when it reemerged in 1856,

278
00:15:31,164 --> 00:15:34,064
five years after it
was first established.

279
00:15:34,064 --> 00:15:36,464
The committee was
an organization that was constructed

280
00:15:36,464 --> 00:15:39,366
to combat the rampant
crime that was blatantly

281
00:15:39,364 --> 00:15:42,064
being committed in
the city streets.

282
00:15:42,064 --> 00:15:45,064
The 1856 version of the
committee of vigilance

283
00:15:45,064 --> 00:15:48,199
also set its gaze towards
squelching political crimes

284
00:15:48,197 --> 00:15:50,965
as well as political corruption.

285
00:15:50,963 --> 00:15:54,499
Despite many upheavals
and rapid changes,

286
00:15:54,496 --> 00:15:56,156
the city would
continue to rebuild

287
00:15:56,164 --> 00:15:58,565
in every sense of the word.

288
00:15:58,563 --> 00:16:01,193
The resilience and
perseverance of the citizens

289
00:16:01,197 --> 00:16:04,066
of this young city would
work to counterbalance

290
00:16:04,064 --> 00:16:07,132
the haste in which it
was first directed.

291
00:16:07,130 --> 00:16:10,299
The city began as a sleepy
little town on the bay

292
00:16:10,297 --> 00:16:13,297
but the California Gold Rush
would do more than anything

293
00:16:13,296 --> 00:16:17,399
previous to spur San
Francisco on to grow

294
00:16:17,396 --> 00:16:19,096
and to become one of
the largest cities

295
00:16:19,097 --> 00:16:21,065
in the United States.

296
00:16:21,064 --> 00:16:24,532
It will continue to thrive
impart fueled by the aspirations

297
00:16:24,529 --> 00:16:27,265
of the multitudes that
were drawn into the region

298
00:16:27,263 --> 00:16:30,193
because of gold and
the promise of a better

299
00:16:30,197 --> 00:16:31,797
brighter tomorrow.

300
00:16:34,763 --> 00:16:36,497
With every passing month,

301
00:16:36,496 --> 00:16:39,365
California was
growing in population.

302
00:16:39,363 --> 00:16:42,731
The placer gold was getting
harder and harder to find

303
00:16:42,729 --> 00:16:46,059
but the stories of riches
being pulled from the hillside

304
00:16:46,064 --> 00:16:49,432
were still in great abundance.

305
00:16:49,429 --> 00:16:52,231
Prospective miners
travel to the gold fields

306
00:16:52,229 --> 00:16:55,859
and would quickly learn that
the game was rapidly changing.

307
00:16:55,863 --> 00:16:58,298
It was less and less
common for a single man

308
00:16:58,296 --> 00:17:00,964
or a small outfit to be
able to pull enough gold

309
00:17:00,963 --> 00:17:03,293
from the earth to
sustain a living

310
00:17:03,296 --> 00:17:06,298
let alone save money
to return back home

311
00:17:06,296 --> 00:17:10,566
and be able to while away their
remaining days and luxury.

312
00:17:10,563 --> 00:17:13,263
Large corporations
were taking over

313
00:17:13,263 --> 00:17:15,497
and companies were extracting
the ore from beneath

314
00:17:15,496 --> 00:17:20,226
mountains or hydraulically
washing away the hillsides.

315
00:17:20,229 --> 00:17:24,199
These kinds of operations
required lots of manpower.

316
00:17:24,196 --> 00:17:26,896
Discouraged miners found
themselves signing on

317
00:17:26,895 --> 00:17:31,065
to these larger operations
and working for a day's wage.

318
00:17:31,063 --> 00:17:34,263
They'd come so far,
traversed the nation,

319
00:17:34,263 --> 00:17:36,763
only to be back to
working in a situation

320
00:17:36,763 --> 00:17:38,630
that was most likely no better

321
00:17:38,629 --> 00:17:40,369
than the one they'd
left at home.

322
00:17:42,296 --> 00:17:47,067
In 1858, news of hope
and a new el dorado

323
00:17:47,063 --> 00:17:48,923
spread throughout California

324
00:17:48,928 --> 00:17:51,197
because gold had
been discovered north

325
00:17:51,196 --> 00:17:53,496
in Canada's British Columbia.

326
00:17:56,429 --> 00:18:00,466
In the Fraser River canon
discoveries of fine flower gold

327
00:18:00,463 --> 00:18:01,963
had been made.

328
00:18:01,962 --> 00:18:04,830
There had been miner rushes
in this area in the past

329
00:18:04,828 --> 00:18:08,365
but word has not spread
quite like this before.

330
00:18:08,363 --> 00:18:11,631
The Cariboo Gold Rush
of 1860 would attract

331
00:18:11,629 --> 00:18:14,659
more Canadians than the
Fraser River discovery,

332
00:18:14,662 --> 00:18:17,830
thus, this discovery
was more of an extension

333
00:18:17,828 --> 00:18:20,228
of the California
Gold Rush mining

334
00:18:20,229 --> 00:18:22,497
and the culture
that surrounded it.

335
00:18:22,496 --> 00:18:26,632
30,000 men who had given up
hope to make their own riches

336
00:18:26,628 --> 00:18:31,366
in California now had a
new lease on life up north.

337
00:18:31,363 --> 00:18:34,463
The Argonauts quickly flooded
the village of Victoria

338
00:18:34,463 --> 00:18:39,367
which up until that time was
inhabited by only 500 people.

339
00:18:39,363 --> 00:18:42,293
Many of these men were
unable to stay claims

340
00:18:42,296 --> 00:18:43,963
because of the high
water on the river

341
00:18:43,962 --> 00:18:46,062
during the summer time months,

342
00:18:46,063 --> 00:18:50,099
but by autumn, many simply
returned disheartened

343
00:18:50,096 --> 00:18:51,696
to California.

344
00:18:51,695 --> 00:18:54,464
They convinced themselves
that the Fraser rush

345
00:18:54,462 --> 00:18:56,329
held not weight.

346
00:18:56,329 --> 00:18:59,529
Despite this, more men
would come in to replace

347
00:18:59,528 --> 00:19:02,064
the disappointed once who left.

348
00:19:02,063 --> 00:19:04,297
All of these men who would
enter the short lived

349
00:19:04,296 --> 00:19:07,796
Fraser River Gold Rush would
disrupt the natural order

350
00:19:07,795 --> 00:19:10,325
of the environment
as well as the lives

351
00:19:10,328 --> 00:19:13,164
of the indigenous
people who inhabited it

352
00:19:13,163 --> 00:19:15,797
just as they were
doing in California.

353
00:19:15,795 --> 00:19:18,395
Many of these men
returned to California

354
00:19:18,395 --> 00:19:21,395
and continued to labor in
the mines for corporations

355
00:19:21,395 --> 00:19:24,235
and men with larger
purse strings.

356
00:19:26,129 --> 00:19:28,797
The placer gold was
beginning to dry up

357
00:19:28,795 --> 00:19:31,264
and along with it
many of the stories of

358
00:19:31,262 --> 00:19:34,730
larger than life nuggets which
fueled the hearts and minds

359
00:19:34,728 --> 00:19:37,928
of thousands during
the Gold Rush era.

360
00:19:37,928 --> 00:19:40,728
Advanced mining techniques
such as hydraulic

361
00:19:40,728 --> 00:19:44,398
and river dredging were
quickly becoming the norm

362
00:19:44,395 --> 00:19:47,195
and the every man's
chance at striking it rich

363
00:19:47,195 --> 00:19:50,464
was dwindling with
every passing day.

364
00:19:50,462 --> 00:19:53,192
Entire sections of
rivers would be diverted

365
00:19:53,195 --> 00:19:55,696
and massive amounts of
earth would be crushed

366
00:19:55,695 --> 00:20:00,365
to get to the smallest
deposits of gold locked inside.

367
00:20:00,362 --> 00:20:02,792
The instantaneous discovery
of pay dirt large enough

368
00:20:02,795 --> 00:20:05,997
to set you up for
life was giving way

369
00:20:05,995 --> 00:20:09,865
to a more pain staking and
methodical kind of mining.

370
00:20:10,828 --> 00:20:14,608
The strike it rich
moment was almost gone.

371
00:20:17,328 --> 00:20:19,163
Located in Northern California,

372
00:20:19,162 --> 00:20:23,531
just 15 miles northeast
of Chico, Dogtown.

373
00:20:23,528 --> 00:20:27,798
This small town with an odd
name would be the discovery site

374
00:20:27,795 --> 00:20:31,365
of the largest single
nugget of gold on earth

375
00:20:31,362 --> 00:20:32,632
at that time.

376
00:20:33,595 --> 00:20:36,797
Dogtown got its namesake
because of its abundance

377
00:20:36,795 --> 00:20:39,464
of K9 inhabitants.

378
00:20:39,462 --> 00:20:41,662
Some of the first
settlers of the area

379
00:20:41,662 --> 00:20:43,392
were the Basset family.

380
00:20:43,395 --> 00:20:46,230
And when Mrs. Basset
first arrived to the area

381
00:20:46,228 --> 00:20:50,265
she came on foot and had
almost no worldly possessions

382
00:20:50,262 --> 00:20:55,262
saved for three dogs:
two female and one male.

383
00:20:55,562 --> 00:20:58,964
Mrs. Basset had no
luck as a prospector

384
00:20:58,961 --> 00:21:02,631
yet she still had to find
a way to make a living.

385
00:21:04,395 --> 00:21:07,495
When one of her dogs gave
birth to a liter of puppies,

386
00:21:07,495 --> 00:21:09,663
she had an idea.

387
00:21:09,661 --> 00:21:13,561
She began selling her pups
for a pinch of gold dust

388
00:21:13,562 --> 00:21:15,929
to the lonely miners
who were setting up camp

389
00:21:15,927 --> 00:21:17,962
all around the area.

390
00:21:17,961 --> 00:21:21,630
These men were at a loss for
some kind of companionship

391
00:21:21,627 --> 00:21:26,057
and she provided it at a
reasonable enough expense.

392
00:21:26,062 --> 00:21:28,329
As the town grew,
there are soon dogs

393
00:21:28,328 --> 00:21:30,928
in every tent in cabin.

394
00:21:30,927 --> 00:21:34,197
Shop keeps and saloon
owners kept them as well.

395
00:21:34,195 --> 00:21:37,895
The name of Dogtown seem
natural and fitting.

396
00:21:39,561 --> 00:21:42,861
Until 1859, Dogtown
remained a place

397
00:21:42,861 --> 00:21:44,661
that was not widely known

398
00:21:44,661 --> 00:21:48,230
and the population
seems sparse at best.

399
00:21:48,228 --> 00:21:51,564
That all changed
when A.K. Sterns,

400
00:21:51,561 --> 00:21:54,661
a work man, discovered
a large gold nugget

401
00:21:54,661 --> 00:21:58,697
in the Willard Claim on
the slopes of Sawmill Peak.

402
00:21:58,694 --> 00:22:02,764
The nugget weighed
in at 54 pounds.

403
00:22:02,761 --> 00:22:07,771
And its value was
set at $10,690.

404
00:22:07,827 --> 00:22:12,837
That would be in the $350,000
range for modern day money.

405
00:22:13,394 --> 00:22:15,895
The dog town nugget
quickly made headlines

406
00:22:15,894 --> 00:22:18,463
on many papers all
across the nation.

407
00:22:18,461 --> 00:22:23,061
And this single find started
a small gold rush of its own

408
00:22:23,062 --> 00:22:26,197
within the Dogtown area.

409
00:22:26,195 --> 00:22:29,064
The name and the legend
of the Dogtown nugget

410
00:22:29,062 --> 00:22:31,662
would live on but
the town's name

411
00:22:31,661 --> 00:22:34,229
was not long for this world.

412
00:22:34,227 --> 00:22:37,827
The female population of
Dogtown resented the name

413
00:22:37,827 --> 00:22:39,762
and especially so when
they needed to use it

414
00:22:39,761 --> 00:22:42,091
in correspondence.

415
00:22:42,095 --> 00:22:45,164
The women of Dogtown,
California petitioned to have

416
00:22:45,161 --> 00:22:48,396
the town's name
changed to Magalia,

417
00:22:48,394 --> 00:22:50,764
which is Latin for cottages.

418
00:22:52,594 --> 00:22:57,065
A plea for a name
change appeared in the Marysville Appeal

419
00:22:57,062 --> 00:22:59,322
by a local resident.

420
00:22:59,327 --> 00:23:02,596
"We should hate to live
in a place called Dogtown

421
00:23:02,594 --> 00:23:05,763
"particularly if we had
a large correspondence

422
00:23:05,761 --> 00:23:09,597
"and had to write
the name frequently."

423
00:23:09,594 --> 00:23:12,629
The name was forever
changed and gold continued

424
00:23:12,627 --> 00:23:16,127
to be prospected there
until the 1890's.

425
00:23:16,127 --> 00:23:20,864
Soon, only the old timers
knew the origins of Magalia,

426
00:23:20,861 --> 00:23:24,061
the namesake of
the Dogtown nugget.

427
00:23:25,694 --> 00:23:29,464
Some 174 miles
southeast of Dogtown,

428
00:23:29,461 --> 00:23:32,361
another gold nugget was
literally stumbled upon

429
00:23:32,361 --> 00:23:37,371
by John William Hats as he was
chasing after a runaway mule.

430
00:23:37,727 --> 00:23:41,730
The nugget he finds
weighs in at 14 pounds,

431
00:23:41,727 --> 00:23:44,627
nothing compared to
the Dogtown nugget

432
00:23:44,627 --> 00:23:47,963
but it would lead to one of
the largest slabs of gold

433
00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:51,429
that the California Gold
Rush would ever see.

434
00:23:51,427 --> 00:23:55,057
James H. Carson fought in
the Mexican-American War

435
00:23:55,061 --> 00:23:57,162
as part of Colonel
Stevenson's regiment

436
00:23:57,161 --> 00:24:00,061
of first New York volunteers.

437
00:24:00,061 --> 00:24:04,361
The regiment arrived
in California in 1847.

438
00:24:04,361 --> 00:24:07,663
Carson saw a little action
during the course of the war.

439
00:24:07,661 --> 00:24:10,961
There were no plans made for
the soldiers to turn back east

440
00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:13,728
so by the end of the war the
soldiers found themselves

441
00:24:13,726 --> 00:24:15,626
stranded in California.

442
00:24:16,893 --> 00:24:20,363
Carson was living in Monterey
which is just under 300 miles

443
00:24:20,361 --> 00:24:23,229
south of Coloma where
marshal discovers the first

444
00:24:23,227 --> 00:24:26,696
nuggets of gold in
the American river.

445
00:24:26,693 --> 00:24:28,861
It did not take long
for word to reach him

446
00:24:28,860 --> 00:24:30,490
about the findings.

447
00:24:30,494 --> 00:24:33,494
He quickly packed up
his belongings along with some supplies

448
00:24:33,494 --> 00:24:37,234
he purchased and set out
for the virgin gold fields.

449
00:24:40,361 --> 00:24:42,691
Carson first stopped
at Weber Creek

450
00:24:42,693 --> 00:24:44,961
in Placerville, California.

451
00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:46,860
He was successful in his digging

452
00:24:46,860 --> 00:24:50,196
but the itch for something
more led him to look elsewhere

453
00:24:50,194 --> 00:24:53,063
for bigger and better prospects.

454
00:24:53,061 --> 00:24:55,961
He joins a party of men
which included the Angel

455
00:24:55,960 --> 00:24:58,762
and Murphy Brothers, and
they collectively decided

456
00:24:58,760 --> 00:25:00,860
to head south.

457
00:25:00,860 --> 00:25:03,460
They prospected every
stream they came across

458
00:25:03,460 --> 00:25:06,260
until they came to a
creek some 60 miles south

459
00:25:06,261 --> 00:25:08,195
of where they'd started.

460
00:25:08,194 --> 00:25:11,663
Here, the group of men parted
ways of what is now known

461
00:25:11,660 --> 00:25:13,390
as Angel's Creek.

462
00:25:13,393 --> 00:25:15,394
The Murphy's headed eastward.

463
00:25:15,393 --> 00:25:19,263
Carson continues south while
the Angels stayed at the creek.

464
00:25:20,726 --> 00:25:23,895
Carson found luck a few miles
south at a small tributary

465
00:25:23,893 --> 00:25:25,794
of the status laws.

466
00:25:25,793 --> 00:25:28,093
This area, rich in gold,

467
00:25:28,094 --> 00:25:30,924
they decided to
name Carson's creek.

468
00:25:30,926 --> 00:25:33,695
Despite having the success
in all of these places,

469
00:25:33,693 --> 00:25:36,495
James H. Carson still
remained restless

470
00:25:36,493 --> 00:25:38,423
and his desire for
something bigger

471
00:25:38,426 --> 00:25:40,396
pulled him further south.

472
00:25:41,726 --> 00:25:44,556
After several years of
unsuccessful prospecting,

473
00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:46,860
Carson decided to
return to Carson's Creek

474
00:25:46,860 --> 00:25:49,295
and acclaims that
he had laid there.

475
00:25:49,293 --> 00:25:53,193
He goes on to be elected to
the state assembly in 1852.

476
00:25:53,193 --> 00:25:55,827
But rheumatism which had
plagued them for years

477
00:25:55,826 --> 00:25:58,662
left him bed-stricken.

478
00:25:58,660 --> 00:26:01,390
The creek and the hill
which pulled his namesake

479
00:26:01,393 --> 00:26:03,927
were still successfully
being mined for gold

480
00:26:03,926 --> 00:26:06,656
while Carson lay ill in bed.

481
00:26:06,660 --> 00:26:09,962
He succumbs to the illness
before he can take office

482
00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:13,129
and dies very near poverty.

483
00:26:13,126 --> 00:26:16,295
James H. Carson would not
live to see the largest nugget

484
00:26:16,293 --> 00:26:19,823
of gold pulled from the
hills that bore his namesake.

485
00:26:21,426 --> 00:26:24,426
John William Hats, the
man who would discover

486
00:26:24,426 --> 00:26:27,526
the 14-pound lump of
gold up on Carson Hill

487
00:26:27,526 --> 00:26:31,263
while chasing a runaway mule
four years earlier in 50,

488
00:26:31,260 --> 00:26:35,260
immediately returned to the
site to stake his claim.

489
00:26:35,260 --> 00:26:37,627
At that time, he did
not know that the nugget

490
00:26:37,626 --> 00:26:40,362
which he stumbled
across had broken a way

491
00:26:40,360 --> 00:26:43,428
from a much larger quartz
fane which was rooted deep

492
00:26:43,426 --> 00:26:45,756
within the hillside.

493
00:26:45,760 --> 00:26:49,163
John Hats takes a group of
six partners up to the newly

494
00:26:49,160 --> 00:26:51,260
stated claim.

495
00:26:51,260 --> 00:26:53,660
There, they decide
to call themselves

496
00:26:53,660 --> 00:26:57,129
The Carson Creek
Consolidated Mining Company.

497
00:26:57,126 --> 00:27:02,064
Soon thereafter, the
claim becomes known as the Morgan Mine,

498
00:27:02,060 --> 00:27:04,727
thusly named after
Colonel A. Morgan,

499
00:27:04,725 --> 00:27:07,394
the most prominent figure
in the partnership.

500
00:27:07,393 --> 00:27:10,062
The Morgan Mine was
so abundant with gold

501
00:27:10,060 --> 00:27:13,060
that the prospectors used
a very unusual technique

502
00:27:13,060 --> 00:27:16,960
to extract and retrieve the
gold from the quartz bedrock.

503
00:27:16,959 --> 00:27:19,961
One of the partners described
the method and process

504
00:27:19,959 --> 00:27:22,059
as such.

505
00:27:22,060 --> 00:27:24,427
When the quartz fane
was first worked,

506
00:27:24,426 --> 00:27:27,626
the method adopted
was to put in a blast

507
00:27:27,625 --> 00:27:31,062
and after the explosion, to
go around with hand baskets

508
00:27:31,060 --> 00:27:33,227
and pick up the pieces.

509
00:27:33,226 --> 00:27:34,826
Implementing this method,

510
00:27:34,825 --> 00:27:36,755
the partners of the
Morgan Mine pulled out

511
00:27:36,759 --> 00:27:41,769
$110,000 in gold for
one single blast.

512
00:27:42,426 --> 00:27:43,956
On another occasion,

513
00:27:43,959 --> 00:27:48,399
the party found a lump of ore
that weighed in at 112 pounds.

514
00:27:50,226 --> 00:27:52,927
The Morgan Mine kept producing.

515
00:27:52,925 --> 00:27:55,425
On November 22nd, 1854,

516
00:27:55,425 --> 00:27:58,494
a slab of golden
quartz was discovered.

517
00:27:58,492 --> 00:28:03,392
While technically not a
nugget, it was massive in size.

518
00:28:03,392 --> 00:28:06,794
It was over 15 inches
long, six inches wide,

519
00:28:06,792 --> 00:28:08,922
and four inches thick.

520
00:28:08,925 --> 00:28:13,129
The slab held a value
of over $43,000.

521
00:28:13,126 --> 00:28:16,095
It was one of the largest
ever discovered in California

522
00:28:16,093 --> 00:28:18,123
yet it was only a fraction
of the total bounty

523
00:28:18,126 --> 00:28:21,828
which miners would ultimately
reap from the hill.

524
00:28:21,825 --> 00:28:25,125
Carson Hill of Calaveras
County would produce

525
00:28:25,126 --> 00:28:28,866
26 million dollars
in gold in total.

526
00:28:30,225 --> 00:28:33,094
There were countless stories
of larger than life finds

527
00:28:33,093 --> 00:28:35,227
throughout the Gold Rush.

528
00:28:35,225 --> 00:28:37,093
In the summer of 1858,

529
00:28:37,093 --> 00:28:39,861
a young boy of 14
in Calaveras County

530
00:28:39,859 --> 00:28:42,127
discovered a nugget
of gold and quartz

531
00:28:42,126 --> 00:28:46,056
the size of a coconut
near waterwheel in the bed of a stream

532
00:28:46,060 --> 00:28:48,061
that have been
worked over by miners

533
00:28:48,060 --> 00:28:51,728
who head just happened
to miss finding that gold

534
00:28:51,725 --> 00:28:54,255
after all those years.

535
00:28:54,259 --> 00:28:57,394
A 52-pound heap of
golden quartz was found

536
00:28:57,392 --> 00:29:00,361
in the Diltz Mine
in Mariposa County

537
00:29:00,359 --> 00:29:02,159
and Woods Creek in Sonora County

538
00:29:02,159 --> 00:29:05,899
would claim one weighed
in at 75 pounds.

539
00:29:08,959 --> 00:29:13,229
Before a single European
soul set foot in California,

540
00:29:13,225 --> 00:29:17,425
it's estimated that there are
over a 300,000 native peoples

541
00:29:17,425 --> 00:29:20,265
living in small tribes
throughout the area.

542
00:29:21,359 --> 00:29:24,394
These people lived in
harmony with the land,

543
00:29:24,392 --> 00:29:27,922
but by 1870, the number of
Native Americans in California

544
00:29:27,924 --> 00:29:32,062
had been reduced to
1/10th of the original.

545
00:29:32,059 --> 00:29:35,159
The roughly 30,000 who
remained in the state

546
00:29:35,159 --> 00:29:37,826
were, for the most
part, displaced.

547
00:29:37,825 --> 00:29:41,395
And a majority of them now
resided on reservations,

548
00:29:41,392 --> 00:29:43,562
cut off from their homelands.

549
00:29:45,858 --> 00:29:48,560
Disease, conflict over gold,

550
00:29:48,559 --> 00:29:51,489
along with the assimilation
and an unwavering difference

551
00:29:51,492 --> 00:29:54,327
in their outlooks on how
the land should be treated

552
00:29:54,325 --> 00:29:57,925
and who it belonged to would
contribute to the schism

553
00:29:57,924 --> 00:30:00,824
that forms between the
native peoples of California

554
00:30:00,824 --> 00:30:03,926
and the Americans and
immigrants who crossed over

555
00:30:03,924 --> 00:30:05,354
into their borders.

556
00:30:06,791 --> 00:30:09,760
With the discovery of
gold at Sutter's Mill,

557
00:30:09,758 --> 00:30:11,788
a whirlwind of change
was brought upon

558
00:30:11,791 --> 00:30:15,427
all the indigenous
people of California.

559
00:30:15,425 --> 00:30:19,395
Until European settlers had
come and now the Americans,

560
00:30:19,392 --> 00:30:21,692
the diverse indigenous
people of California

561
00:30:21,691 --> 00:30:24,093
had lived in relative peace.

562
00:30:24,092 --> 00:30:27,722
There were conflicts between
tribes, but for the most part,

563
00:30:27,724 --> 00:30:30,224
these native peoples
lived in villages

564
00:30:30,225 --> 00:30:33,594
that were sparsely populated
and functioned in harmony

565
00:30:33,591 --> 00:30:35,759
with the world around them.

566
00:30:35,758 --> 00:30:38,393
The land is sacred to
the native inhabitants

567
00:30:38,392 --> 00:30:40,422
of this great land.

568
00:30:40,425 --> 00:30:43,394
They take only what they
need and do it in such a way

569
00:30:43,392 --> 00:30:47,928
that works in a delicate
balance with their surroundings.

570
00:30:47,924 --> 00:30:51,327
The 40 miners' desperate
hunger for gold

571
00:30:51,325 --> 00:30:56,125
runs in stark contrast to the
practices of these people.

572
00:30:56,125 --> 00:30:59,894
The Argonauts scourged the
land and pulled from it

573
00:30:59,891 --> 00:31:02,060
only what they deemed to value

574
00:31:02,059 --> 00:31:05,259
and then they left the
remnants to be cast aside.

575
00:31:07,159 --> 00:31:10,289
So often, these remnants
were the contents of rivers

576
00:31:10,292 --> 00:31:12,760
that have been
damaged and dredged,

577
00:31:12,758 --> 00:31:15,693
hillsides that have been
stripped of their top soil

578
00:31:15,691 --> 00:31:19,861
by hydraulic water hoses and
the entrails of mountains

579
00:31:19,858 --> 00:31:22,826
which have been excavated
by men who dove deep

580
00:31:22,824 --> 00:31:25,254
into the interior
seeking a metal

581
00:31:25,258 --> 00:31:27,625
which would bring them wealth.

582
00:31:27,624 --> 00:31:30,393
The effects of these attitudes
and the actions of those

583
00:31:30,391 --> 00:31:32,691
who mined the gold
fields of California

584
00:31:32,691 --> 00:31:36,694
during this rush can
still be seen today.

585
00:31:36,691 --> 00:31:39,791
The damage these men
caused was irepairable

586
00:31:39,791 --> 00:31:43,161
and devastating in so many ways.

587
00:31:43,158 --> 00:31:46,893
The hunger for gold caused
so many to look no further

588
00:31:46,891 --> 00:31:50,691
into the future than
the next payload.

589
00:31:50,691 --> 00:31:52,825
The land was not
something they wished

590
00:31:52,824 --> 00:31:56,294
to live in harmony with, it
was something to be conquered.

591
00:31:56,291 --> 00:31:58,491
It was a safe to be cracked.

592
00:32:00,224 --> 00:32:02,825
The natives even
knew about the gold

593
00:32:02,824 --> 00:32:07,362
long before the Whites did
but it held no value for them.

594
00:32:07,358 --> 00:32:09,218
With the advent
of the Gold Rush,

595
00:32:09,224 --> 00:32:11,792
Americans and people
from across the world

596
00:32:11,791 --> 00:32:13,891
would flood into
the native lands

597
00:32:13,891 --> 00:32:16,793
and impose upon them
their lifestyles

598
00:32:16,791 --> 00:32:19,521
as well as their
beliefs and values.

599
00:32:21,124 --> 00:32:26,054
1850 was the year that saw
the new California legislature

600
00:32:26,058 --> 00:32:30,327
pass an act for the government
and protection of Indians

601
00:32:30,324 --> 00:32:32,259
that did march to
further America

602
00:32:32,258 --> 00:32:36,227
down the path of
marginalizing, displacing,

603
00:32:36,224 --> 00:32:38,792
and in many
instances eradicating

604
00:32:38,791 --> 00:32:41,061
the native people of California.

605
00:32:43,458 --> 00:32:46,658
The aAct allowed Whites to
regard any American Indian

606
00:32:46,658 --> 00:32:49,860
that was not obviously
gainfully employed

607
00:32:49,857 --> 00:32:53,726
and deemed him a grant
before justice of the peace.

608
00:32:53,724 --> 00:32:56,893
These Indians could then
be sold at public auction

609
00:32:56,890 --> 00:33:00,090
and become temporary
slave laborers to whomever

610
00:33:00,091 --> 00:33:03,560
purchased them for a
period of four months.

611
00:33:03,558 --> 00:33:07,161
This Act also allowed Whites
to indenture native children

612
00:33:07,158 --> 00:33:11,227
and they were often
sold as apprentices.

613
00:33:11,224 --> 00:33:14,454
Whites continued to move
Indians off their native lands

614
00:33:14,458 --> 00:33:16,625
and on to reservations.

615
00:33:16,624 --> 00:33:19,060
These people would be
rounded up like cattle

616
00:33:19,058 --> 00:33:20,918
and forced to live in camps
where they were promised

617
00:33:20,923 --> 00:33:23,759
food and shelter
but all too often,

618
00:33:23,757 --> 00:33:25,957
the white men would
break their promises

619
00:33:25,957 --> 00:33:28,925
once the Indians were
on the reservation.

620
00:33:28,923 --> 00:33:32,060
The American Indians lived
in balance with the land

621
00:33:32,058 --> 00:33:34,658
and the food that are
provided for them.

622
00:33:34,657 --> 00:33:39,061
Being carded off to reservation
which was almost always

623
00:33:39,058 --> 00:33:41,725
on attractive land that
Whites deem to below them

624
00:33:41,723 --> 00:33:43,183
to use.

625
00:33:43,191 --> 00:33:46,893
Through off this balance for
the self-sustaining Indians,

626
00:33:46,890 --> 00:33:49,190
they could no longer
provide for themselves

627
00:33:49,191 --> 00:33:51,559
and therefore they became
dependent upon the very men

628
00:33:51,557 --> 00:33:53,687
who operated them them
in the first place

629
00:33:53,690 --> 00:33:55,491
for food.

630
00:33:55,490 --> 00:33:57,890
This tragic
displacements of people

631
00:33:57,890 --> 00:34:00,120
tore them from
their native lands

632
00:34:00,124 --> 00:34:03,160
and took their dignity forever
changing their cultural

633
00:34:03,158 --> 00:34:06,126
landscape much in a
way that the miners did

634
00:34:06,124 --> 00:34:09,593
to the gold fields and the
California wilderness itself

635
00:34:09,590 --> 00:34:11,524
with their hunger for gold

636
00:34:11,523 --> 00:34:14,123
which in many cases was
born out of greed and

637
00:34:14,124 --> 00:34:16,524
short-sightedness and haste.

638
00:34:17,957 --> 00:34:21,827
The entirety of the act
allowed all of the following.

639
00:34:24,191 --> 00:34:27,291
Number one, the justice
of the peace would have

640
00:34:27,290 --> 00:34:30,920
jurisdiction over all complaints
between Indians and Whites;

641
00:34:30,923 --> 00:34:35,061
but in no case shall a white
man be convicted of any offense

642
00:34:35,058 --> 00:34:38,926
upon the testimony of
an Indian or Indians.

643
00:34:38,923 --> 00:34:42,326
Two, land owners would permit
Indians who were peacably

644
00:34:42,323 --> 00:34:46,053
residing on their land
to continue to do so.

645
00:34:46,058 --> 00:34:49,226
Three, Whites would be
able to obtain control

646
00:34:49,223 --> 00:34:51,191
of Indian children.

647
00:34:51,190 --> 00:34:53,624
This section would
eventually be used to justify

648
00:34:53,623 --> 00:34:56,453
and provide for Indian slavery.

649
00:34:56,457 --> 00:35:00,093
Four, if any Indian were
convicted of a crime

650
00:35:00,090 --> 00:35:02,458
any white person could
come before the court

651
00:35:02,457 --> 00:35:06,326
and contract for the Indian
services, and in return,

652
00:35:06,323 --> 00:35:08,723
would pay the Indian's fine.

653
00:35:08,723 --> 00:35:12,960
Five, it would be illegal to
sell or administer alcohol

654
00:35:12,957 --> 00:35:14,457
to Indians.

655
00:35:14,457 --> 00:35:19,427
Six, Indians convicted of
stealing a horse, mule, cow,

656
00:35:19,423 --> 00:35:23,526
or any other valuable could
receive any number of lashes

657
00:35:23,523 --> 00:35:28,523
not to exceed 25, and
fines not to exceed $200.

658
00:35:28,922 --> 00:35:31,324
It should be noted that the
law provided that abusing

659
00:35:31,323 --> 00:35:34,592
an Indian child by Whites
was to be punished by no more

660
00:35:34,590 --> 00:35:36,790
than a $10 fine.

661
00:35:36,790 --> 00:35:39,760
It is hard to compare the
penalty with the crime.

662
00:35:43,090 --> 00:35:48,061
Seven, finally, an Indian
found strolling or loitering

663
00:35:48,057 --> 00:35:51,687
where alcohol was sold,
begging, or leading a profligate

664
00:35:51,690 --> 00:35:55,526
course of life would
be liable for arrest.

665
00:35:55,523 --> 00:36:00,093
The justice, mayor, or recorder
would make out a warrant.

666
00:36:00,090 --> 00:36:03,359
Within 24 hours, the services
of the Indian in question

667
00:36:03,357 --> 00:36:05,591
could be sold to
the highest bidder.

668
00:36:05,590 --> 00:36:08,760
The term of service would
not exceed four months.

669
00:36:13,390 --> 00:36:16,425
With all of the restrictions
and harsh punishments,

670
00:36:16,423 --> 00:36:20,560
along with the ability to
turn free natives into slaves,

671
00:36:20,557 --> 00:36:23,625
this Act left those natives
who managed to stay off

672
00:36:23,622 --> 00:36:27,622
of reservation no better
of than their brethren.

673
00:36:27,622 --> 00:36:30,158
If this Act was not enough to
make their lives troublesome

674
00:36:30,157 --> 00:36:35,057
at every turn, the impact that
miners had on the ecosystem

675
00:36:35,057 --> 00:36:38,059
added insult to injury.

676
00:36:38,057 --> 00:36:40,357
The huge influx of
people into California

677
00:36:40,357 --> 00:36:44,593
threw off the relationship
the Indians had with the land.

678
00:36:44,589 --> 00:36:46,649
Food supplies ran short,

679
00:36:46,656 --> 00:36:48,590
game would disappear,

680
00:36:48,589 --> 00:36:50,657
and places were food was
gathered would replaced

681
00:36:50,656 --> 00:36:53,886
with mining camps and
other settlements.

682
00:36:53,889 --> 00:36:57,059
Run off from the camps would
spill into rivers and streams

683
00:36:57,057 --> 00:36:59,587
further disrupting the land.

684
00:36:59,589 --> 00:37:02,189
What game in
agriculture did remain

685
00:37:02,190 --> 00:37:04,758
was battered and
beaten to a pulp

686
00:37:04,756 --> 00:37:06,923
by the harsh mining techniques
that were implemented

687
00:37:06,922 --> 00:37:08,622
during the rush.

688
00:37:08,622 --> 00:37:12,492
Gravel, silt, and
chemicals such as mercury

689
00:37:12,489 --> 00:37:15,629
would destroy habitats
and kill off fish.

690
00:37:17,190 --> 00:37:19,658
The Americans traveled
west carrying more than

691
00:37:19,656 --> 00:37:21,823
pick axes and hopes,

692
00:37:21,822 --> 00:37:25,222
they also brought
with them illness.

693
00:37:25,223 --> 00:37:28,292
They introduced diseases
such as small pox,

694
00:37:28,289 --> 00:37:32,159
influenza, and measles,
diseases that the Indians had

695
00:37:32,157 --> 00:37:34,527
no natural defense against.

696
00:37:38,489 --> 00:37:41,758
The decimation of their
population by foreign diseases,

697
00:37:41,756 --> 00:37:43,923
destruction of natural habitat,

698
00:37:43,922 --> 00:37:47,059
mountains, valleys,
rivers, and streams,

699
00:37:47,057 --> 00:37:50,117
along with the slow
genocide on all fronts

700
00:37:50,123 --> 00:37:53,759
from the invading Americans
and the government behind them

701
00:37:53,756 --> 00:37:57,292
is one of the low points
in American history.

702
00:37:57,289 --> 00:37:59,857
As California struggled
with the question of slavery

703
00:37:59,856 --> 00:38:02,156
of Blacks, they were
already treating

704
00:38:02,156 --> 00:38:05,056
the original inhabitants
as if they were less

705
00:38:05,056 --> 00:38:07,657
than equal to Whites.

706
00:38:07,656 --> 00:38:10,556
Many came to California
would open their hearts

707
00:38:10,556 --> 00:38:13,324
and faith that they would
return home to their families

708
00:38:13,322 --> 00:38:16,352
able to provide a better life.

709
00:38:16,356 --> 00:38:19,791
All too often this
did not happen.

710
00:38:19,789 --> 00:38:21,257
And as a result,

711
00:38:21,256 --> 00:38:24,524
the best of intentions can
become twisted and shaped

712
00:38:24,522 --> 00:38:28,362
into darker forces than
their initial iteration.

713
00:38:29,456 --> 00:38:32,456
Violence toward Indians was
born out of a simple racism

714
00:38:32,456 --> 00:38:35,824
and fear, but it also
manifested itself

715
00:38:35,822 --> 00:38:38,958
in the Argonauts'
frustrations and failures

716
00:38:38,955 --> 00:38:41,623
when the easy placer
gold becomes played out

717
00:38:41,622 --> 00:38:43,782
just making ends meet
in the gold fields

718
00:38:43,789 --> 00:38:45,623
gets harder and harder.

719
00:38:45,622 --> 00:38:48,558
The California dream
for so many Argonauts

720
00:38:48,556 --> 00:38:53,556
that sought California's
riches begins to fade.

721
00:38:53,622 --> 00:38:56,091
They turn their
frustrations with their own

722
00:38:56,089 --> 00:38:59,619
personal failures and
misguidedly take them out on the

723
00:38:59,622 --> 00:39:01,557
indigenous people.

724
00:39:01,556 --> 00:39:05,325
Indians would be killed
and chased away from claims

725
00:39:05,322 --> 00:39:09,559
in the baseless fear that
they would steal the gold.

726
00:39:09,556 --> 00:39:12,156
If an Indian struck
against a white minor,

727
00:39:12,156 --> 00:39:15,624
the retaliation was
tenfold, and most often

728
00:39:15,622 --> 00:39:17,590
it would be directed at
other Indians that had

729
00:39:17,589 --> 00:39:21,489
absolutely nothing to do
with the original dispute.

730
00:39:21,489 --> 00:39:25,125
The Indians were an easy
scapegoat for the Whites.

731
00:39:25,122 --> 00:39:28,322
Instead of facing the truth
about their own personal lots

732
00:39:28,322 --> 00:39:31,058
and accepting that they
have to return home,

733
00:39:31,056 --> 00:39:33,256
no better off than
when they set out,

734
00:39:33,256 --> 00:39:36,824
they chose instead to
lash out again and again

735
00:39:36,821 --> 00:39:41,431
at those who looked, acted, and
lived differently from them.

736
00:39:43,089 --> 00:39:47,859
In a mere 20 years
from 1849 through 1870,

737
00:39:47,855 --> 00:39:51,124
the population of indigenous
peoples living in California

738
00:39:51,122 --> 00:39:55,452
would drop from 150,000
to fewer than 30,000.

739
00:39:56,455 --> 00:39:59,457
The pre European numbers
were in the 300 thousands

740
00:39:59,455 --> 00:40:01,385
so by the time of the Gold Rush,

741
00:40:01,389 --> 00:40:04,891
their population has
already been decimated.

742
00:40:04,888 --> 00:40:09,058
Disease, displacement,
government sanction enslavement

743
00:40:09,056 --> 00:40:12,324
and eradication were
all contributing factors

744
00:40:12,322 --> 00:40:14,822
to the sharp decline.

745
00:40:14,821 --> 00:40:18,121
The California Gold Rush
changed the lives of millions of

746
00:40:18,122 --> 00:40:21,258
people around the world
but not all of that change

747
00:40:21,256 --> 00:40:24,924
was for the better, and not
all of the people changed

748
00:40:24,921 --> 00:40:27,690
began their journey willingly.

749
00:40:27,688 --> 00:40:31,624
There are many, many dark
days on the United States

750
00:40:31,621 --> 00:40:34,490
and its Americans would
treat would fellowmen

751
00:40:34,488 --> 00:40:37,788
as less than equal and
would cast them aside

752
00:40:37,788 --> 00:40:42,358
out of ignorance, pride, and
for their own personal gain.

753
00:40:44,221 --> 00:40:48,991
Manifest destiny, a
simple nebulous idea

754
00:40:48,988 --> 00:40:51,023
which was given its name
by a newspaper editor,

755
00:40:51,022 --> 00:40:54,322
John O. Sullivan in 1845,

756
00:40:54,321 --> 00:40:59,221
continues to fuel
the subconscious of thousands of Americans

757
00:40:59,221 --> 00:41:02,157
that when an idea
becomes so powerful

758
00:41:02,155 --> 00:41:04,555
that it sparks
people into action,

759
00:41:04,555 --> 00:41:09,425
it can be a very potent thing
to be reckoned with indeed.

760
00:41:11,903 --> 00:41:16,903
(dramatic music)

761
00:41:16,953 --> 00:41:21,503
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