A Gold Rush can make a common man a millionaire in an instant. It can be defined as a period of intense migration of labour into an area where there has been a discovery of vast quantities of gold. Gold rushes occurred in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States.
Gold rushes are generally marked with the upbeat and optimistic feeling of something that is free-for-all. This makes it possible for anyone to become absolutely prosperous instantaneously. The definition given previously is what a gold rush was. A lot of people link gold rushes to the Californian gold rush, although it is a fact that the Australian gold rush remains to date as the richest gold rush of the world.
The Australian gold rushes began in 1851 when Edward Hammond Hargraves went with his guide John Lister to Lewis Pond Creek. Here they filled and washed a few pans, and found they contained gold. The news spread like wild fire, and over the next few days a number of other people from all walks of life, were seen to be digging like their life depended on it.
Hargraves did not achieve a great fortune from gold. He did although name the Bathurst goldfield Ophir. Later, James Tom, a farmer, declared that it was not Hargraves, and said that he actually found the gold. Even then, the official verdict went against him. Hargraves was labeled, as the Crown Land Commissioner for New South Wales. John Lister and William Tom held another enquiry, just before he died in 1899, and this time it came out to be in favor of the upholding claims that were made. (Brother of James Tom)
The first discovery was in New South Wales, followed by Clunes, Ballarat, Buninyong, and then Bendigo Creek. Soon gold was found in all of the other Australian states. The first gold license was issued in Victoria on 1851. Varying amounts of licenses were issued through out the country.
The Victorian gold rush that occurred right after the Californian gold rush was the biggest of Australian gold rushes. The gold rush was of utmost importance, because it served as a stimulus for economic and political development in Victoria, and Melbourne. By the end of 1851, around 250,000 ounces of gold had been extracted.
The Australian gold rushes gave way for the development of major parts of the city. Railways and telephone lines were constructed. The sudden gathering of people gave way to multi-culture and racism. It also marked the beginning of the Eureka Stockade, and the end of penal transportation.
In 1852, 370,000 migrants entered the country, and the economy received a welcome boost. Victoria alone contributed to almost one third of the total gold output of the world in the 1850s. In two years, the population had increased from 77,000 to 540,000. A fun fact to note here is that the total number of immigrants was more than the total number of criminals of the past 70 years that had landed there. The total population increased three fold from 1851 to 1871, from 430,000 to 1.7million people.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3072992
Gold rushes are generally marked with the upbeat and optimistic feeling of something that is free-for-all. This makes it possible for anyone to become absolutely prosperous instantaneously. The definition given previously is what a gold rush was. A lot of people link gold rushes to the Californian gold rush, although it is a fact that the Australian gold rush remains to date as the richest gold rush of the world.
The Australian gold rushes began in 1851 when Edward Hammond Hargraves went with his guide John Lister to Lewis Pond Creek. Here they filled and washed a few pans, and found they contained gold. The news spread like wild fire, and over the next few days a number of other people from all walks of life, were seen to be digging like their life depended on it.
Hargraves did not achieve a great fortune from gold. He did although name the Bathurst goldfield Ophir. Later, James Tom, a farmer, declared that it was not Hargraves, and said that he actually found the gold. Even then, the official verdict went against him. Hargraves was labeled, as the Crown Land Commissioner for New South Wales. John Lister and William Tom held another enquiry, just before he died in 1899, and this time it came out to be in favor of the upholding claims that were made. (Brother of James Tom)
The first discovery was in New South Wales, followed by Clunes, Ballarat, Buninyong, and then Bendigo Creek. Soon gold was found in all of the other Australian states. The first gold license was issued in Victoria on 1851. Varying amounts of licenses were issued through out the country.
The Victorian gold rush that occurred right after the Californian gold rush was the biggest of Australian gold rushes. The gold rush was of utmost importance, because it served as a stimulus for economic and political development in Victoria, and Melbourne. By the end of 1851, around 250,000 ounces of gold had been extracted.
The Australian gold rushes gave way for the development of major parts of the city. Railways and telephone lines were constructed. The sudden gathering of people gave way to multi-culture and racism. It also marked the beginning of the Eureka Stockade, and the end of penal transportation.
In 1852, 370,000 migrants entered the country, and the economy received a welcome boost. Victoria alone contributed to almost one third of the total gold output of the world in the 1850s. In two years, the population had increased from 77,000 to 540,000. A fun fact to note here is that the total number of immigrants was more than the total number of criminals of the past 70 years that had landed there. The total population increased three fold from 1851 to 1871, from 430,000 to 1.7million people.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3072992