Many people spend their entire lives trying to make money and get rich. They envision a lifestyle where they don't have to work to provide for their families and can enjoy the finer things in life. Some may go to great lengths to find this source of wealth, even if it means packing up their bags and moving far away. Many people found a way to make their dream of getting rich a reality on January 24, 1848. While building a sawmill for John Sutter, James W. Marshall discovered gold in the American River. Many people flocked to California in search of the golden treasure and to follow their dream. This was the beginning of the California Gold Rush. The California Gold Rush was an important part of United States history; helped colonize the Western United States, boosted California's economy, and negatively affected Native Americans living in the West. First of all, the California Gold Rush helped colonize the western United States by giving people a reason to head west. In his December 1848 State of the Union address, President Polk broadcast the discovery of gold, prompting a rush west. The search for gold brought nearly 300,000 people to California by 1850. These people did not just include Americans, but instead included people from every corner of the globe and every continent. The influx of travelers westward required the development of a faster mode of transportation. Thus was born the Panama Railway, the first transcontinental railway in the world. Before the advent of the railroad there were only two ways to get to California. One way was to risk traveling from New York to California on a six-month sea voyage. This was a disease-filled journey with many different rations of food and water. Another... half of the paper... er. “Intertwined Economic Histories: American Indians in a Capitalist America.” Journal of American History 98, no. 3:698-722. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed November 12, 2013). Harvard University Library: Open Collections Program: Home. "Open Collections Program: Immigration to the United States, California Gold Rush, 1848-1858." Accessed November 13, 2013. http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/immigration/goldrush.html.Magagnini, Stephen. “The misfortune of the Indians was stamped in gold.” Sesquicentenary of the gold rush. Last modified January 18, 1998. Accessed November 12, 2013. http://www.calgoldrush.com/series3_set.html.Paddison, Joshua. "Calisphere - Cultures of California - 1848-1865: Gold Rush, Statehood, and the Western Movement." Calisphere: a world of digital assets. Accessed November 13, 2013. http://www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu/calcultures/eras/era4.html.