Contact with the new settlers brought about serious disruptions to the native way of life. The gold rush of 1848 brought still more devastation. Violence, disease and loss overwhelmed the tribes.

An astounding amount of gold was pulled from the ground during the California gold rush. In 1852 the take for the year was $80 million ($1.9 billion in 2005 dollars). This map shows some of the ...

But that's only one part of the sta gold rush story. Historians tell Insider the era touted for discovery and expansion is actually responsible for one of the bloodies periods in US history - a ...