If you guessed that America’s first gold rush occurred in California, you’d be wrong! In fact, the first gold rush in our nation happened in the state of North Carolina. It began in 1799—half a century before the more well-known California Gold Rush—around the area surrounding Charlotte, which was then dusty town called “Charlotte Town”.
Thanks to UNC TV, here are five fascinating facts we uncovered about our country’s first rush for gold:
- 12-year-old Conrad Reed found the first gold nugget in Cabarrus County in 1799. He was fishing in the creek when, instead of catching a fish, he found a 17 pound gold nugget. Conrad’s gold nugget was the first of many found on his family’s farm.
- Outsiders began moving into North Carolina with the purposes of mining gold in 1805. One of the most well-known miners was William Thornton, who designed the United States Capitol Building. He formed the North Carolina Gold Mine Company after purchasing 35,000 acres of land.
- Gold mining in North Carolina was limited to creek beds at first, but in 1825 miners learned that gold also ran in veins of white quartz. Miners then began lode mining, also known as underground mining. The most notable miners were from Cornwall, England. The Cornish miners had a few centuries of experience lode mining their own homeland for copper and tin. They taught miners safe ways to lode mine, as well as how to effectively mill gold ore.
- By 1832, the Carolina Gold Rush was at its height. Over 50 mining companies were operating in the state. These mines employed over 25,000 people, which made mining the largest occupation in the state after agriculture. Until the Sierra Nevada gold rush of 1848, North Carolina was the largest U.S. producer of gold.
- Most of the gold mined in North Carolina was taken to the South Carolina port city of Charleston, where it was shipped to European markets. This business arrangement was much shorter, easier and safer than sending it to the only U.S. mint at the time, which was located in Philadelphia. The roads to Philadelphia were dangerous and travelers could easily be robbed of their gold.
In 1832, a German immigrant named Thomas Belcher, who was a miner and jewelry maker, began minting gold coins for the local miners. Over his career, he minted over two million dollars in gold coins. His contribution came at a time when very few people in North Carolina had U.S. coins in their possession since Philadelphia was so far away. In 1838, an official branch of the U.S. mint opened up in Charlotte and began minting coins.
Although the Carolina gold rush didn’t last long and oft gets forgotten behind the hype of the larger California gold rush that came later, it played an important part in the history of coinage and gold in the United States.
If you’re a history buff, then you’ll appreciate reading our other articles about the history of money and the U.S. Federal Reserve in our Knowledge Center.
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