Miners
In 1858, gold was discovered in Colorado. The gold strike turned out to be fake. Later, miners found gold and silver in western Nevada. This gold strike became known as Comstock Lode. It was named after a miner named Henry Comstock. The lode was a bonanza, which is a large deposit of precious ore. Over the next 20 years, the Comstock produced over millions of dollars of gold and silver. It took expensive equipment to get the gold trapped in the quartz rock. Mining produced boomtowns. The towns would spring up when a mine was opened. The mines were left as soon as the gold was gone, and the towns didn't last long after the mines were empty.
The conditions were really bad while working in the mines. There wasn't much oxygen. Since there wasn't enough oxygen the candles would not give much light. Unexpected explosions would kill or injure the miners. Dust created lung problems and there were wall-less elevators. There were cave-ins and floods from underground that would also kill the miners.
The conditions were really bad while working in the mines. There wasn't much oxygen. Since there wasn't enough oxygen the candles would not give much light. Unexpected explosions would kill or injure the miners. Dust created lung problems and there were wall-less elevators. There were cave-ins and floods from underground that would also kill the miners.
Railroads
The railroads connected The East and The West. In 1860, the Pony Express was established to send goods and information between The East and The West. The company also used messengers on horseback to carry mail between relay stations. Telegraphs soon put the Pony Express out of business because the telegraph line sent messages much faster.
The Pacific Railroads Acts of 1862 and 1864 were passed because the Americans wanted to connect The East and The West by transcontinental railroads. The acts gave railroad companies loans to pay for construction of the railroads. The government granted millions of acres of public land for railroads.
The Pacific Railroads Acts of 1862 and 1864 were passed because the Americans wanted to connect The East and The West by transcontinental railroads. The acts gave railroad companies loans to pay for construction of the railroads. The government granted millions of acres of public land for railroads.