Gold Rush

The Gold Rush — Dreams of Fortune

Few events shaped the American West as dramatically as the Gold Rush. Beginning with the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in California in January 1848, the rush drew hundreds of thousands of fortune seekers from around the world, transforming the landscape, economy, and demographics of the frontier forever.

The California Gold Rush

The Forty-Niners — named for the year 1849 when the rush truly exploded — came by land and sea from every corner of the globe. San Francisco grew from a small settlement to a booming city almost overnight. Mining camps sprang up across the Sierra Nevada foothills, complete with their own codes of justice and social hierarchies. Fortunes were made in days and lost just as quickly.

Beyond California

Gold fever spread far beyond California. The Pike's Peak Gold Rush brought settlers to Colorado, the Comstock Lode drew miners to Nevada with its silver and gold deposits, and the Black Hills Gold Rush in South Dakota led to the founding of Deadwood. Each discovery reshaped the frontier and brought new waves of settlement. Learn more about these events in our lexicon.

Seek Your Fortune

In our Wild West RPG, gold prospecting is just one of many ways to make your mark on the frontier. Pan for gold, stake a mining claim, or provide services to the miners flooding into town. The rush is on — will you strike it rich?