The mass migration that shaped the American West
It’s estimated that 300,000 people migrated to California between 1849 and 1855 from every part of the world, rapidly setting the economic foundation for the new state. For Indigenous people, terror ensued as armed militias and vigilante miners seized land and resources, murdering those who stood in their way. Exclusionary laws and violence against foreigners, particularly against Chinese migrants, were also widespread as settlers competed for wealth.
Map by Katie Armstrong.
via RosemaryWardley