Were There More Gold Rushes Than the Famous One in California?

Chapter 15
Era of Bonanzas

Were there more gold rushes than the famous one in California?

What rights were prospectors granted by law?

What was the Cattleman's Bonanza that happened during this time?

Why did the Cattleman's Bonanza end?

In any frontier, the “primary windfalls” or bonanzas are the easiest to get. They are often attained before settlements occur. Bonanzas of gold and silver and lush grass for cattle were easy to attainbetween 1850-1900. In this chapter, you willlearn about 1) the miner's bonanza and 2) the cattleman's bonanza.

Miner's Bonanza

Gold rushes after the forty-niners: There were gold rushes even after the major Gold Rush of '49 in California. Additional gold rushes occurred in the 1860s and '70s in the mountain areas of Nevada, Colorado, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Experienced Californians often led the invasion of these areas. Mining, therefore, advanced eastward instead of westward.

Placer mining: Prospectors used a special technique for getting the gold called placer mining. Placer mining is washing "pay dirt" in pans, cradles, or sluice boxes, using only a pick, shovel, and a crude pan. This method, however, was wasteful. Some have estimated that by 1868 nearly $300 million in precious metals had been lost forever.

Prospectors were entitled by law to one claim by preemption. Preemption meant that one had the right to purchase government-owned land before any others. Prospectors were also entitled to a second claim by discovery. Latecomers were entitled to just one claim.

Initial invasions in Colorado and Nevada: In l858, some small strikes were made near what is now Denver. Also at that time, prospectors had struck it rich in Nevada with the discovery of the Comstock Lode, the biggest bonanza of all. Most of the gold and silver found there, however, was locked in veins of quartz. As a result, quartz mills and mining machinery were used. From 1859 to 1879, the total output of the Comstock mines was S350 million. Forty-five percent was in gold; fifty-five percent was in silver.

After Comstock, one strike followed another in Western Nevada. These strikes did increase population there and the demand for statehood. In Figure 15-1 you can see that Nevada in 1864 was the first of the interior mining states to acquire statehood.

Additional gold rushes: In the meantime, there were additional gold rushes in the area that would become Washington, Idaho, and Montana. Placer miners from California, Nevada, and the East laid out mining camps in these northwestern areas.

Last fling: In October 1875, the old mining frontier had its last fling in the Black Hills of south Dakota when prospectors were allowed on the Sioux reservation at their own reis. Thousands of prospectors rushed in for one last chance. In figure 15-2, you can see major mining areas in the 1800s.

Cattleman’s Bonanza

Herding cattle in cow towns: In Texas, herdsmen began to handle cattle from horseback and to herd them north. In fact, in a diamond-shaped area of the tip of Texas, the culture of the cowboy and his long-horned charges began. Herding the cattle north soon became profitable.

Several towns further north were founded for receiving cattle for shipment. The earliest was Abilene, Kansas, established on the Hannibal and St. Joe Railroad in 1867. Others soon followed: Wichita, Ellsworth, and Dodge City, pushing farther and farther westward and southward with the railroad. Wither he boom of the 1800s, beef prices were soaring and grain was still plentiful. Optimism spread. Investors from many other areas rushed to the plains to seek their fortunes.

Doom of the free range: Even with free grassland, cattle raising on the open range became uneconomical for several reasons. First, it exposed herds to weather hazards. Second, proper care of animals was impossible, and improvement of breeds was difficult. Third, rough and wasteful handling of cattle was encouraged. Fourth, costly and bloody range “battles” occurred quite often. Next, the expanding railroads and their loads of settlers helped destroy the open range. For example, settlers staked claims and ran fences. Some raised sheep which stripped the grazing land and fouled the watering holes. Then in 1885, beef prices started to tumble. Finally, in 1885, severe weather killed off many herds on the southern ranges. For instance, the severe winter of 1885-1886killed 85% of the herds on the southern ranges alone. The following year, summer drought scorched the grass. The winter of 1886-1887 also killed many herds on the plains. At this point, the end of the great beef bonanza had approached.

Summary

After the Gold Rush of ‘49 in California, prospectors invaded the interior of the country where gold was discovered in Colorado and Nevada. They also pushed into Washington, Idaho, and Montana staking more claims. In 1875, gold was discovered in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The "primary windfall" of precious metal such as gold and silver then ended, and the serious business of mining began.

The cattleman's bonanza began in Texas where large herds of cattle were raised. They were driven north to markets where cattle prices were significantly higher. Free grass and no fences made the long drives possible. Eventually, however, with severe weather hazards and the tumble of beef prices in1885, the cattle bonanza was doomed.

Suggestions for Further Reading

Paul, R. W., Mining Frontiers of the Far West, 1848-1880 (1963)

Smith, D. A„ Rocky Mountain Mining Camps (1967)

Greever, W. S, The Bonanza West; The Story of the Western Mining Rushes, 1848-1900 (1963)

Osgood, E. S., The Day of the Cattleman (1929 reprinted 1957) Dale, The Range Cattle Industry, (1930 reprinted 1969)

Frank, Maurice, Jackson, W. T., and Spring, A. W., Where Grass Was King (1957)