A Boomtown is a town undergoing rapid growth due to sudden prosperity
Who & why
About half of the miners were foreign-born. There were immigrants from Hawaii, China, Japan , Italy, Germany, Mexico, and more.
These people came for a variety of reasons, such as, to start a new life, to get land to farm, or to simply mine or try to find gold. The large amounts of immigration during this time period have impacted the diversity of today’s American population.
Boomtown life
Once a transcontinental railroad was built, many more people started traveling accross the country, and the population rapidly increased. Boomtowns first started as tent cities, which over time, became actual hotels, stores, and other wood framed buildings. There were several mining camps near to whrere these towns were typically located.
Nevada, Colorado, North and South Dakota, Montana, Washington, Idaho, and Wyoming became states between the years 1864-1890.
For the citizens of boomtowns, there were many occupations one could hold. There were plenty of jobs in mines, of course. People opened businesses, and offered more jobs to the unemployed. Merchants sold high priced tools, food, and clothing.
Women of Boomtowns
In many towns, the ratio of women to men was about 1 to 9. Although, women often made decent livings. They typically opened businesses, washed clothes, cooked and baked, and sometimes, even helped in the mines.
Problems
About everything in Boomtowns were expensive. There was not much fresh drinking water because most was polluted with chemicals. People would pay a lot of money on bottled water. These issues along with others are the reasons boomtowns did not last long.
Boomtowns to ghosttowns
What Happened to Boomtowns
Credits:
Created with images by Renodesertfoxstill - "Yellow Jacket Mine"