Although
the gold in the California hills eventually ran out--the impact
of the gold rush era lives on. California was shaped by the adventurers
who stayed--to form the idea that is California today: a place
that accepts and nurtures risk takers.
John Sutter
never saw the opportunity of gold. He couldn't alter his vision--and
left the state. But as Sutter and those like him departed, the
new Californians came and kept coming. People who could adapt
to constant changes; people who saw opportunity at every corner;
people who longed for a more exciting life, and weren't afraid
to grab it.
It was a
dream that precious few ever actually realized--but it's a dream
that lives on.
