gold-rush
Nugget-seeking migration
A gold rush is a rapid influx of people to a region where gold has been discovered, hoping to stake claims and get rich.
The California Gold Rush of 1849 is the most famous American example.
Figuratively, any frenzied pursuit of sudden wealth or opportunity: the dot-com gold rush of the 1990s.
1849 gold rush migrants
- 1849Mid-nineteenth century date
- CaliforniaWest coast megastate
- Sutter's Mill1848 gold discovery location
- boomtownsFast-growing frontier settlements
miners · claims · staking · territory · expansion · settlers · Wild West · wagon trains
Lateral camera traverse
- placerMineral-rich sediment accumulation
- nuggetsSmall solid lumps
- claimStatement of ownership or truth
- prospectorOne seeking valuable deposits
sluice · pickaxe · shovel · streambed · alluvial · dredging · sifting · ore
Small solid lumps
- fortuneWealth or destiny
- richesAbundant valuable possessions
- treasureValued wealth or keepsake
- bullionPrecious metal in bulk
strike it rich · bonanza · paydirt · hoard · affluence · prosperity · millionaire · dust
Violent mental agitation
- maniaIntense, consuming obsession
- excitementState of eager enthusiasm
- euphoriaIntense emotional high
- greedExcessive desire for wealth
speculation · craze · hysteria · boom · obsession · thrill · adventure · eagerness
First to explore territory
- settlementResolved dispute or colony
- wildernessUncultivated, uninhabited natural region
- outpostRemote military station
- trailblazerFirst to forge ahead
exploration · manifest destiny · westward expansion · lawlessness · vigilante · boomtown · tent city · frontier justice
forty-niners
1849 gold rush migrants
- 1849Mid-nineteenth century date
- CaliforniaWest coast megastate
- Sutter's Mill1848 gold discovery location
boomtowns · miners · claims · staking · territory · expansion · settlers · Wild West · wagon trains · Klondike
panning
Lateral camera traverse
- placerMineral-rich sediment accumulation
- nuggetsSmall solid lumps
- claimStatement of ownership or truth
prospector · sluice · pickaxe · shovel · streambed · alluvial · dredging · sifting · ore · quartz
nuggets
Small solid lumps
bullion · strike it rich · bonanza · paydirt · hoard · affluence · prosperity · millionaire · dust · flakes
frenzy
Violent mental agitation
- maniaIntense, consuming obsession
- excitementState of eager enthusiasm
- euphoriaIntense emotional high
greed · speculation · craze · hysteria · boom · obsession · thrill · adventure · eagerness · contagion
pioneers
First to explore territory
- settlementResolved dispute or colony
- wildernessUncultivated, uninhabited natural region
- outpostRemote military station
trailblazer · exploration · manifest destiny · westward expansion · lawlessness · vigilante · boomtown · tent city · frontier justice · homestead
gold-rushstagnation
Absence of flow or progress
business as usual · economic stability · slow growth · sustainable development · slow burn
gold-rushbust
Failure or sculpture
economic collapse · market crash · depression · crash · recession
rush, gold, golden, rushing, goldfish, gilded, gilding, goldmine, goldsmith