In 1849 alone, 90,000 gold seekers, called 49ers, made the journey to California. Some went by ship to the port of San Francisco. Others traveled overland in covered wagons. Both routes were difficult and dangerous. Hunting for gold was very hard. Few miners found enough gold to get rich. By 1853, most of the easy-to-find gold was gone. The gold rush was over. Since so many people moved to California for the gold rush, it became a state in 1850.
