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Gold Rush Chronology (c. 1849 - 1850 on this page)

JANUARY: Europe begins to ship miners to California. Five California trading and mining companies are started in London.

FEBRUARY 28: The first load of 49ers lands in San Francisco on the California, the first of the Pacific Mail Line steamships.

SPRING: Prospecting and mining resume. Jacksonville, Jenny Lind, and Goodyear's Bar (settled by Miles Goodyear) are new mining camps.

MAY: Overland wagon trains begin their treks from St. Joseph and Independence, Missouri. Some 4,000 miners head north from Sonora, Mexico.

JULY: The first wagon train arrives in Sacramento Valley. A total of 600 vessels have landed by this time in San Francisco Bay, with all aboard heading for the goldfields.

SEPTEMBER: The placers at Downieville are worked and the town is started in November by Major Downie.

OCTOBER: The first European immigrants begin arriving. Nevada City is started when Dr. A.B. Calwell builds a general store on Deer Creek. Big Oak Flat is mined by James Savage. Chinese Camp, Coulterville, French Corral, Volcano, San Andreas, Groveland, Shaws Flat, and Oroville are settled.

NOVEMBER 13: Although not yet legally a state, California ratifies a constitution, elects a governor, and names law-makers.

WINTER: During this year, an estimated 42,000 argonauts arrived by land and 39,000 arrived by sea from all parts of the world. Severe rain storms force miners into Sacramento and San Francisco, forcing the cities to improve their roads, walkways, and sewers.

SPRING: Mt. Bullion is settled in the Southern Mines, and the first private mint starts business at Mt. Ophir.

MARCH: Mexicans discover gold north of Sonora. MARCH 27: American miners find gold at Columbia and the rush there is started.

APRIL: A monthly discriminatory $20 Foreign Miners Tax is enforced mainly against the Mexicans and Chinese miners.

JUNE: Gold-bearing quartz is inadvertently found on Gold Hill near Grass Valley, and the rush there is on.

SUMMER: Hawaiians are the first to mine Kanaka Creek below Alleghany. Growlersburg is established and later renamed Georgetown. Mining starts in Onion Valley near La Porte. Gold is found at Michigan Bluff and Sierra City, and Indian Camp is founded, later to be named Washington.

SEPTEMBER 9: California officially becomes the 31st state of the Union.

OCTOBER 18: San Francisco learns of statehood when the steamer Oregon arrives.

WINTER: This year, 55,000 people arrived via wagon trains and 36,000 came by sea.