Forty-Niners were gold-seekers who rushed to California after gold was discovered there in 1848. The first Forty-Niners reached San Francisco on the steamer California on Feb. 28, 1849. Ships from all parts of the world carried other gold-seekers there. But most arrived in covered wagons by way of the Oregon Trail and the California Trail. Gold seekers increased California’s population from about 15,000 early in 1848 to nearly 100,000 by the end of 1849. The Forty-Niners made up the first of a series of migrations to California that became even heavier during the following years. See also California gold rush .
