Gangs

• By 1850 many prospectors had found what gold they could, and mining companies moved in to mine the area properly.
• San Francisco’s population boomed because of -

  • former prospectors arriving in search of other jobs
  • Chinese migrants arriving following a famine in China
• Many could not find work and there was a crime wave in 1851. Rival gangs controlled areas of San Francisco. Murder, theft and corruption was common.