California Gold Rush | Digging Deeper | 4
American History Tellers
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Mining in the Gold Fields of California
In 1853, hydraulic mining emerged, permanently altering the nature of gold mining in California. It made it possible to mine on a scale that just a few years earlier had been unthinkable. The film tells the story of one tinsmith from Arkansas who spent months building an elaborate water cannon for his own use. As the hose fills with water, it bulges and rides like a giant snake; it explodes out of the nozzle as if by magic.
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