What we consider the west today and what was considered the west during the mid 1800’s are quite different. The west started at the Great Plains, which today we often think of the Great Plains as the center of our country. Now up to this point most people are living in the eastern half of the United States where they have everything they need and can get it fairly easily. Therefore why did people move west? Why did they leave the comfort of their homes to move to an unknown area where their lives would not be as easy?
Many people headed west in search of GOLD. In 1848, James Marshall discovered gold in Sutter’s Mill in California, and the gold rush was on. Gold rushers were called forty-niners because many of them went to California in 1849. Of the many people who headed west in search of gold only a few struck it rich, most did not. Therefore, was the risk of heading west worth it for these people? When miners couldn’t find gold they ended up working for mining companies for little pay. If you were one of these miners would you do it all over again if you get the chance or would you just stay put?
Many of us have heard of ghost towns, but have you heard of boom towns? Let’s say I discover gold in San Francisco, California. Once word spreads that I have discovered gold everyone is going to flock to San Francisco, creating a boom town. Hotels, taverns, police stations, etc are going to be built for the people living in the town. However, once people do not find gold or gold is found somewhere else everyone leaves the town creating a ghost town with lots of empty buildings. What a waste! What could be done with these ghost towns so there wouldn’t be so much waste?
