Farmers After the Gold Rush
Because of the immense amount of people that settled in California during the Gold Rush, farmers had become extremely wealthy. As a result, they were able to spend money on improving their business, and California's agriculture began to grow. One major example of this was the Sacramento Valley Railroad, which was completed in 1854. This railroad went from Sacramento, California to Folsom, California, and allowed California farmers to sell goods to many areas of California. Later on, California even got federal backing to create the First Transcontinental Railroad, which was also called the Pacific Railroad. This allowed California farmers to feed thousands of people who lived in other areas of the United States, and even people who lived in other continents. The First Transcontinental Railroad helped agriculture to become California's leading industry, and would not have been possible without the tremendous profits the Gold Rush brought.
The increase in wheat production in California as a result of the Gold Rush was another major reason that agriculture became so successful in California. In fact, California had even become the nation's second greatest wheat producer. In 1870 a bushel of wheat could be sold for $1.82, helping farmers to become very wealthy. Unfortunately, in 1894, an excessive amount of wheat caused the price of a bushel to wheat to decrease to only $0.64. This decline of wheat was a major loss for the farmers of California, and most were forced to sell some of their land to people who wished to grow "specialty crops." These specialty crops, such as oranges and lemons, became very popular, and Californian farmers even began to grow them. Eventually, farmers in California were once again extremely successful, as a high demand for specialty crops replaced the high demand for wheat. Of course, this need for a large amount of food contributed to the success of the farmers, and was due to the increase in California's population during the Gold Rush.
Overall, the Gold Rush had a positive outcome on the farmers in California. When the Gold Rush first began it, the large rush of people made the farmers a necessary part of California. The increase in population gave farmers more business, and the high demand of food made it possible for them to raise their prices. The Gold Rush also gave California the opportunity to build new railroads, which opened doors to a much larger production of food. Even when the wheat production business declined, California was able to then succeed in other areas of farming, because of the resources that the Gold Rush had given them.