Gold+Rush+1873

=Gold Rush of 1873= A gold rush is a rapid movement of people to a area where gold is prominent. A rush usually begins with a discovery of gold in a location. Due to the abundance of gold, people are able to become extremely wealthy in a short period of time. The first gold rush in South Africa took place in 1873. Alec Patterson discovered gold in a creek in Geelhatborn near Sabie. Patterson, a clever man, tried to keep his discovery a secrets. Soon the entire town knew about Alec's findings.

Eventually, President Burgers called this area New Caledonain Gold Field. Citizens of the area give the gold field the nickname "MacMac diggings." Pilgrim's Rest, a small town in the Mpumalanga, South Africa also attracted several prospectors during that time. About 1,500 people flooded the fields in search of gold. Soon people began to settle in locations were gold was prominent. In those areas, a estimated amount of $2,000,000 was discovered over the years.

There was a spread of diseases on the gold field. As a result of unhygienic conditions, workers often spread their diseases to each other. Because most miners were poor in search of a way to gain financial stability fast, many workers would show up to the fields dehydrated or malnourished. This caused several accidents and some theft. However, this did not prevent workers from searching the fields for gold.