The California Gold Rush had many effects on the American people, westward expansion, the environment, economy and Indian relations ultimately affecting the world as a whole. When John Marshall first found gold in January 1848 at Sutter's Mill in California many people on the east coast did not believe the news. It was not until President Polk confirmed the findings of gold and plenty of it that the "rush" began. It was for this reason that the miners were referred to as the "49ers" regardless of the year they arrived because it wasn't until 1849 that the influx of peoples to this once quiet country began to change California forever more.
             ...