Gold Rush

11 Pages 2802 Words

and gravel frequently clogged the waterways , forcing rivers' banks to rupture. Buildup caused the Feather and Yuba rivers of the Northwest to rise higher than the streets of a neighboring town, Marysville (Bowman, CalGoldRush pg. 1). The inundation destroyed crop fields and swept away homes.
Livestock depleted soil and native plants of
the area. Throughout the Sierra range, cattle
trampled perennial grasses out of existence
(Britannica pg. 1). The cattle continued to
frustrate the California state government’s
attempts to reintroduce bighorn sheep in the
area.
Consequently, the bighorn sheep now fight heavy competition over pastures and water. As easy gold diminished fast, miners were compelled to extract imbedded gold with alternative methods. Miners grouped together to dam rivers, rerouting the flow to expose hidden gold. As these groups grew into mining corporations, measures to extract gold escalated. Monstrous cranes pried out hunks of rock and sand, mangling the landscape. Hydraulic mining had a devastating aftermath as well. The powerful jets ripped apart walls of riverbeds. The gushing of liquid could kill a man standing two hundred feet away. It required thirty years, a preposterously long time, for the state to obtain a formal ban on hydraulic mining. Today, the harmful effects of mercury in Californian waters lurk persistently. Mercury is an expedient magnet for gold, and the miners did not hesitate to release it into rivers. It is estimated that up to 10 percent of 65,000 tons of mercury seeped into Sierra Mountains' streams (Bowman pg. 2). Mercury is lethal. Once in the ecosystem, bacteria converts the element into a more potent methyl-mercury, which spreads like fire. Insects carry the poison to birds, and contaminated fish harm countless creatures including humans. In humans, mercury deteriorates the nervous system and impairs hearing, vision, and speech. Furthermore, chewing and swallowing becomes troub...