Gold Rush,”- By the 1840s, Europeans were coming to the valleys of the Rocky Mountains, tothe Great Basin, and to the well- watered and fertile coastal zones of what wasthen known as the Oregon Territory and California. News of the discovery of goldin California in 1849 created the this, which drew thousands with theprospect of getting rich quickly.The extension of railroads across the continent in the nineteenth centuryfacilitated the transportation of manufactured goods to the West and rawmaterials and (eventually) fresh produce to the East. – By the twentieth century, a vibrant agricultural economy had developed in centraland southern California; irrigated agriculture was made possible by massivegovernment-sponsored water movement projects. The mild Mediterranean climatemade it possible to grow vegetables almost year-round. With the advent ofrefrigerated railroad cars, fresh California vegetables could be sent to the majorpopulation centers of the East. Southern California’s economy rapidly diversified toinclude oil (see Figure 2.9E), entertainment
and a variety of engineering- andtechnology-based industries.”