Gold Rush Facts

During the Gold Rush in 1849, some people paid as much as $100 for a glass of water!

A California couple were walking their dog in February 2013 when the woman spotted a rusty tin can sticking out of the soil on their property. They dug it out - and found it packed with 19th-century gold coins. Eight canisters total, containing 1,427 Gold Rush-era coins dated 1847-1894. Face value: $27,980. Market value: $10 million.

San Francisco's Financial District is built on top of more than 40 Gold Rush ships, possibly 70 or more. In 1849, crews abandoned their vessels to chase the gold rush, then built new streets right over the hulls. Workers hit one ship, the Rome, while digging a Muni tunnel in 1994. Every day, trains rumble through its hull.