California Gold Rush Environmental Impact

Over the past three centuries, humanity has proven that it is capable of taking giant leaps of faith to ensure that it thrives. It was at this particular moment that the natural world was viewed as the perfect place to begin this quest that would later involve massive environmental exploitation. The discovery of gold in the American West led to what is popularly referred to as the California Gold Rush which was, essentially, a period of great excitement and prosperity. Individuals travelled long distances to this remote corner of the Northern Hemisphere with the hope that they too would make their “American Dream” a reality. Nonetheless, after reading Starr’s text and essays that were contained in the Merchant’s book, it was soon apparent that the mining of gold in this region between 1848 and 1855 had adverse environmental implications. The Sierra Foothills, for instance, were permanently damaged by the miners who pummeled through them with water cannons to expose the gold (Vogel, 2018, p. 34). Initially, panning was the method of choice for most of the miners since it was cost effective and the pristine water ways exposing the gold nuggets. The rush sparked the need to mine this gold at an industrial scale, which introduced giant dredgers in the area. California residents have learnt the hard way since the legacy of this historical moment still affects them to date. Toxic materials remained embedded in the environment and, more specifically, in the water that they still have to consume. Mercury was used in the extraction of gold from stone and quartz, a substance that is still in high levels in the water and aquatic life.  Nevertheless, a Christian response to this state of affairs may entail raising awareness on the issue. Christians are aware of the fact that they are stewards of their environment, which is why they are poised to start campaigns that will see the environment being preserved.

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