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California Perspectives on American History
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Gold Rush: 1848–1860: Timeline of Events

  United States & World California
1848
  • Height of Irish Potato Famine
  • Gold discovered in American River
1849
  • Harriet Tubman escapes from slavery in Maryland
  • California Constitutional Convention held in Monterey
1850
  • First National Women's Conference
  • California becomes 31st state
1851
  • Gold fields discovered in Australia
  • Yosemite Valley first visited by non-natives
1852
  • Uncle Tom's Cabin published
  • Wells, Fargo & Company established
1853
  • Matthew Perry’s expedition arrives in Japan
  • Levi Strauss & Co founded
1854
  • Crimean War begins
  • Sacramento chosen as state capital
1855
  • Aleksandr Romanov becomes tsar of Russia
  • Battle of Castle Crags between Modoc and settlers
1856
  • 1st national meeting of Republican Party in Pittsburgh
  • 2nd SF Vigilance Committee organized
1857
  • Dred Scott Decision by Supreme Court rules that slaves cannot be citizens
  • The state's first winery is established by Agoston Haraszthy in Sonoma
1858
  • Abraham Lincoln delivers “House Divided” speech
  • 1st overland mail stage from San Francisco to St. Louis
1859
  • Darwin publishes Origins of Species
  • Joshua A. Norton proclaims himself “Emperor of These United States”

Browse By Timeline

  • Early California: pre-1769–1840s
  • Gold Rush: 1848–1860
  • Early Statehood: 1850 – 1880s
  • Progressive Era: 1890–1920s
  • Depression Era: 1930s
  • World War II Homefront Era: 1940s
  • Homogenization, Protests & Outright Rebellion: 1950s
  • Unforgettable Change: 1960s
  • Cultural Realignment & Economic Recession: 1970s
  • The Reagan Years: 1980s
  • 1990s to Present

Also, browse by Theme or by Most Useful

California.  Many Voices.  Many Stories.  Oakland Museum of California
Picture This is a project of the Oakland Museum of California