The gold/silver strikes in Western territory, such as California, Pike's Peak (Colorado), and Nevada, bring more newcomers. People looking to strike rich rushed to the West to dig. These metal were sold in world markets and necessary in U.S. industrial growth. Rich strikes created boom towns overnight. after the gold ran out, towns became lonely and empty. Mining has an impact on the economics of the nation. The increase in silver created a crisis over relative value of gold and silver. Mining companies move in to dig farther under the surface. Although the gold rush brought many settlers to the west it caused Native Americans to lose their land to miners.
Chinese immigrants move to California seeking freedom and mining opportunities just like everyone else. Railroad companies employes over 12,000 Chinese immigrants that build the transcontinental railroad stretching from the Pacific all the way to the Atlantic. Immigrants also found work in mining. The mining companies that employed Chinese workers had to pay a miner's tax of $20 a month. The Chinese Exclusion Act banned Chinese immigration and barred Chinese already in America from becoming naturalized citizens. This act had a dramatic impact on the Chinese population.