Californian Gold Rush

Initially inhabited by indigenous groups like the Modoc, Karok,
Pomo, Paiute and later Hispanic settlers through colonialism,
California became part of the Union in 1850. Two years before
that however, a New Jersey carpenter named James W. Marshall
came across two pieces of gold in the American River on the
morning of 24 January 1848. His findings were proven correct
when the two pieces were boiled in lye soup and were later
hammered to test their capability to be shaped. Within months,
word got out about the gold in California and the westward push
of the United States kicked off. The presence of gold meant that
the settlers (sans Marshall as his sawmill venture failed and he
never found any more gold) could become very wealthy and the
population grew. People were getting loans and selling off their
homes to start a new life in California. $10 million worth of gold
was pulled from the ground in 1849 alone and this number only
enlarged as the years went on.
How did this affect the indigenous?
Well, with new settlers came diseases that the indigenous
couldn't handle as well as violence with their land being pulled
out from underneath them. The area had been environmentally
productive prior to settlers of European descent but it was swiftly
overused and droughts were becoming common which meant the
poor indigenous were left dehydrated and starving! Some tribes
went eastward for better lives