Stage 6 – Peer Review by Payton Mlakar of “The Growth of California During the Gold Rush” by Isabel Blackford

This project details the population growth in California that resulted from the California Gold Rush in the mid-to-late 1800s. The project begins by exploring two case studies of mining towns established during the California Gold Rush, contrasting the different fates of Nevada City and Bodie. The project then explores population growth and contraction before, during, and after the gold rush. In its final section, the project describes Chinese migration, settlement, and discrimination in California during and after the gold rush. The crux of this project’s argument is that the California Gold Rush transformed California from a sparsely-populated, rural region, to a state full of bustling metropolises and thriving industry. This growth was sustained by California’s connection to the East Coast via the Trans-Continental Railroad which Chinese immigrants built while facing constant discrimination.

The greatest strength of this project’s maps are their readability. Each map in this project has superb color contrast, color gradients, and easy-to-see vector features. Their readability makes these maps easy-to-use and appealing to the reader. Anywhere they were included in the project they added to my understanding of the project’s themes and supported the project’s historical argument. One map I found particularly useful and informative was the “Heat map of Gold Rush settlements.” This map helped me visualize where gold rush settlements were and how the epicenter of the gold rush coincided with areas with the greatest population growth and contraction.

One facet of this project that could be improved is using GIS maps in the sections on Nevada City and Bodie to highlight where these two mining towns were in relation to other mining settlements in California. Contrasting the stories of Nevada City and Bodie is a superb part of this project that does a great job of introducing readers to the California Gold Rush. However, these two case studies could benefit from having their own respective maps that highlight where these two towns are located in California. These maps could even include popups that could provide population graphs and other helpful information. Another improvement that could make the maps in this project even more readable would be to include a legend on them, particularly the choropleths. Including a legend on these maps would ensure the reader understands each map and its argument accurately.

Overall, this was an excellent and informative project that clearly drew on class instruction on mapping conventions, best practices, and GIS methods.