California Census Data o
Completion of the Erie Canal
e
Year Population
1850
92,597
1860 379,994
Source: U. S. Census Bureau
Discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill
e
Completio of the Transcontinental Railroad
Which factor contributed most to the population change shown in this table?
O
Relocation of American Indians to reservations
e

Discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill

Explanation:

As we can see in the sense presented in the question above, the size of the population had a great increase between the years 1850-1860. This increase caused the California population to move from 92,597 to 379,994. With these data, we can conclude that California received a large number of immigrants and had a vast population growth, which indicates that its economy was quite strong and active. Among the answer options presented in the question, the only one that presents an event capable of creating this population increase in California is the discovery of gold in Sutter’s Mill, which attracted immigrants from all over the world and moved the economy of the region.