I also feel that the wagon train migrants were prepared to put up with more hardship than the gold miners to get to their destination. The wagon train migrants were pioneers, therefore the trails were not at first fully established, and there was a fair chance of them getting lost. Also, they weren’t even certain that the route was “safe” to go on because they were the first people to try it out. When the miners used this trail though, it a well – trodden route which was certain to lead them the right way. The gold miners also had the choice of getting to California by sailing, which avoided the journey through South America. This route was more expensive and far more risky as weather conditions were rough and stormy. Therefore, this could show that the miners were more prepared and willing to travel west to seek their fortune.
Both of these groups held the belief of the manifest destiny. They claimed that they were doing Gods work by invading the Indians land instead of blaming themselves, but I don’t feel that either group went west because of this belief. The wagon train migrants headed west because they wanted more land which was fertile and good for farming on. The miners went west because they wanted to become wealthy with gold. The wagon train migrants and gold miners both went west for selfish, arrogant reasons, as they both did it for their own gain, not Gods. The manifest destiny simply helped people with a conscience come to terms with treating the Indians incorrectly.
Those who went west to become farmers generally came from east America, whereas the miners came from all over the world. This shows that gold mining was far more popular and important, and people were more prepared to go to California. In 1848, the population in Oregon and California were very similar. California had attracted 14,000 and Oregon 12,000. However, by 1860 there was a dramatic increase in California, and not as much in Oregon. California had a massive population of 380,000 and in comparison, Oregon only had 52,000. This proves that the gold mining industry was considered to be more important and popular amongst the world.
People living in California in the mining industry didn’t live in a good, civilised lifestyle to begin with. There was violence in the mining towns because there was no police force to deal with it. Problems with law and order increased because of “claim jumping” and the fact that gold attracted the ‘dregs of society.’ Furthermore, vigilante groups were established, who made up the law unfairly and picked on those who they didn’t like. The miners were usually unmarried men, so they wasted most of their money on beer, gambling and prostitutes in the saloons. This would not have contributed well to the settling of the west because living conditions were poor. Some miners even went back to the east because life was so bad.
In Oregon to begin with, life was going well, and the farmers were successfully growing crops. People moved to Oregon as families, so life would be more civilised as the people are already settled with their families. This would definitely have helped the settling of the west as they could sell their crops benefiting the rest of the USA. Farmers stayed in Oregon for longer as well, as some of the miners moved back to the east. However, it wouldn’t have had as many good affects as quickly as California because the population wasn’t as high and people on a farm are more spread out than in a mining town, so communication wouldn’t have been as successful.
Eventually though, California did settle down and the town produced many benefits. The wealth created from the gold helped to give the USA a leading role in world trade. This made the purchase of essential materials for development possible, for example steel for the construction of the railway lines. Also, as California had such a high population, it ensured that the railway line would pass through California rather than Oregon. I feel that although both groups produced goods (crops and gold) that produced money, the gold miners contributed most because it was them who had the money to build the railway, and it passed through their town not Oregon.
Overall, I feel that although the farmers and miners had a huge impact on the American West, the gold miners contributed to it the most. California developed quicker and in the long-term it flourished by becoming rich from the gold and eventually having the railroad pass through California. I think that this was the most important benefit because the trains sped up and increased transport and trade further helping settlement in California. Although it was always civilised in Oregon and not in California, Oregon never progressed from there to attract as many people to help develop it.
