How did the gold rush happen?

A man named James W. Marshall was constructing a sawmill in the American river, when he saw something unusual in the water. Curious of what the glowing item was, he cautiously stepped into the river. What he discovered would change California forever. James W. Marshall found gold, and word got around faster than the speed of light. A year later, people from around the world were coming to California, hungry for gold.

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Why did it happen?

If someone found a million dollar lottery ticket on the ground and word got around that there are multiple tickets hidden everywhere, wouldn't you want to find one desperately? When word got around that James Marshall found gold in California, everyone wanted a share of those riches. People from all over the world came to California, just for the gold. Soon, this state was filled with miners and money seekers, changing California in many ways.