Boomtowns and Settlers The people of the Gold

Boomtowns and Settlers The people of the Gold Rush

Overview • Boomtowns • Quick and dirty towns • Churches • Ghost Towns • One-Room Schools • Supply Towns • Sticks to Bricks • Settlers • Immigrants

Boomtowns • A town that grows very quickly • Quick and dirty • Tents and log cabins went up almost overnight • town builders made “bank” • The buildings were poorly constructed • Appeared in any place that big gold was discovered • Auraria was the first boomtown in CO • grew up west side of Cherry creek • On the other side of Cherry creek another town grew • St. Charles • Later this would be called • • people didn’t plan to stay Dirt streets turned into muddy rivers when rain and snow came • creating an even dirtier atmosphere • not to mention all the horse and animal droppings • not many outhouses • no garbage clean up • YUCK!!!

Ghost towns • When the gold ran out so did the town… • People had no one to sell their product to so they packed up and left • There around 500 Ghost towns in Colorado today • Visiting these eerily quiet spots revives Colorado's boom time as modern-day adventures • Wander through abandoned streets once teeming with rambunctious saloons, outlaws, showdowns and lucrative industry

Supply Town • Some towns lasted even after the gold, silver and miners left • Many were along the Front Range • People in the mining camps and mountains needed supplies • clothing, tools, building supplies, dry goods, news, shoes, food, etc. •

Settlers • Life in mining and supply towns was extremely hard • Men mined for Gold • Women looked to bring civility to the west • Women • Earned money by selling goods • cooked • Washed laundry • opened boarding houses • helped run general stores • ran the post office

Churches • Central City • Many women wanted churches in their communities • Thought churches were a symbol of proper living • before the churches were built, services could be held anywhere • town halls usually served as meetings places for a variety of things • Denver • • • Methodists built the Trinity church Episcopalians built St. John of the Wilderness Jews built started the temple Emanuel • Catholic Church sent Fr. Joseph Machebeuf to CO • built a church in Denver and in other mining towns • FUN Fact • it is said that he held mass in a saloon and locked the doors after mass until the town agreed to build a new church • St. Mary of the Assumption Church still stands today in Central City

Schools • Very important to Colorado's early settlers • Most Schools on the prairie were in the country • Some kids rode horses or mules to school others walked • Boulder had the first public schoolhouse in Colorado

Sticks to Bricks DANGER!!! • The CO climate is? ? ? • Fire= • DRY • Most buildings were made of wood • Fires were used for cooking and heating • Oil Lamps and candles gave light after the dark • Accidents of course happened and buildings would catch fire and spread quickly to other areas in the town • Whole towns would be lost • Eventually laws were passed to restrict buildings to being made out of stone or brick

Immigrants • Settlers who came to CO were usually from others parts of America • however there were/are several immigrants who came to CO that were from other countries • A new wave of immigrants came from the great basin area • they brought their customs and ways of life with them • From other areas • China- went to CA first then moved east to CO • Hispanics- Came up from mexico looking for gold

Neighborhoods • Most neighborhoods were made up of the groups of people from the same countries • similar languages also connected people • immigrants were not always welcomed • sometimes immigrant communities were outside the main town • Chinese experienced the brunt of the racism in towns