Gold Rushes

GOLD RUSHES, a phenomenon of the mid- to late-19th century, were sudden frenetic, short-lived bursts of MINING activity. Several occurred in western N America from California (1848–49) to Alaska (1896–99), and there were others in Australia (1851, 1886), New Zealand (1857) and S Africa (1886). The stampede attracted large numbers of prospectors and an equally large number of "camp followers" who took advantage of the mining activity: merchants, packers, saloonkeepers, gamblers, dancehall...

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