August 1849 – December 1849: In less than a year, the Gold Rush has already started to transform America. But in the gold fields, Boston Company learns that finding gold isn’t going to be easy. The mining camps are only growing more crowded with every passing day. As desperation sets in, the 49ers turn violent and the Gold Rush slides into chaos. Sam Brannan expands his empire, ruthlessly devising new and more ingenious ways to take gold from miners, as he buys up stakes in every business in San Francisco—from hotels, to gambling halls, to brothels. But right when it looks as though Brannan can’t make a bad move, the entire Gold Rush goes up in flames.