<em>For </em><em>Native Americans</em><em>, the </em><em>Gold Rush </em><em>in </em><em>California </em><em>was a disaster of epic proportions</em> due to the fact that there was uncontrolled migration westward, and miners would often stumble upon Indian territory looking for gold.
There were violent conflicts, many tribes died out, as well as many Native American casualties.
For those reasons, it's safe to say that the Gold Rush in California was a disaster of epic proportions for Native Americans.
It would be "rope" that led to the closing of the open range, as farmers started to close off their land to other people and cattle. Barbed wire was not generally used.
