▁R ush , ▁the ▁ind igen ous ▁people ▁of ▁California , ▁including ▁women , ▁ ▁also ▁p anned ▁for ▁gold , ▁some ▁quite ▁successfully . ▁ ▁Though ▁gold ▁had ▁no ▁exchange ▁value ▁in ▁their ▁cult ures , ▁they ▁recognized ▁its ▁value ▁for ▁the ▁new ▁arrival s . ▁ ▁The ▁men ▁would ▁dig ▁and ▁pass ▁the ▁mud ▁to ▁the ▁children , ▁who ▁then ▁carried ▁it ▁in ▁b ask ets ▁to ▁the ▁women . ▁The ▁women , ▁l ined ▁up ▁along ▁the ▁stream , ▁was hed ▁the ▁mud ▁in ▁grass ▁b ask ets , ▁extract ing ▁the ▁gold . ▁▁ ▁However , ▁as ▁more ▁and ▁more ▁imm igr ants ▁from ▁all ▁over ▁the ▁world ▁arrived , ▁conflicts ▁between ▁the ▁new com ers ▁and ▁Native ▁pe op les ▁es cal ated , ▁Indian ▁ex termin ation , ▁re location ▁and ▁ens lav ement ▁became ▁official ▁California ▁policy ▁ ▁and ▁women ▁were ▁sometimes ▁the ▁targets ▁of ▁ra pe ▁or ▁mass acre ▁and ▁ ▁kid n apped ▁to ▁be ▁sold ▁into ▁sla very , ▁along ▁with ▁their ▁children . ▁ ▁In ▁one ▁incident , ▁an ▁aged ▁chief ▁surrounded ▁himself ▁with ▁women ▁as ▁he ▁was ▁under ▁attack ▁by ▁white ▁men , ▁ ▁telling ▁the ▁women ▁they ▁were ▁safe ▁because ▁ ▁he ▁didn ' t ▁believe ▁the ▁whites ▁would ▁kill ▁women . ▁The ▁chief ▁and ▁the ▁women ▁all ▁lost ▁their ▁lives . ▁The ▁new com ers ▁also ▁brought ▁disease ▁and ▁star v ation ▁as ▁environmental ▁resources ▁were ▁de ple ted . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 8 5 0 , ▁