Howdy, partners!
Gold drew people west. Not because everyone would find it, but because everyone believed they might.
In the mid-1800s, news of gold discoveries spread faster than most people could travel. From the California Gold Rush to smaller strikes across rivers, word alone was enough to send thousands west. Farmers left their fields, craftsmen abandoned their trades, for a single idea: somewhere out there, fortune was waiting.But for most, gold was not a sudden windfall. Early prospectors worked riverbeds with pans and sieves, sifting through sediment one handful at a time. Often, days would have passed with nothing to show for it. The image of glittering riches rarely matched the reality of cold water and aching backs.In Wild West Pioneers, you need gold to pay off a debt. And like many pioneers before you, the question becomes simple: how do you pay it back when coin is scarce?You can only find so much gold on your expeditions. But rivers running through your first region may hold traces of it, and that’s where your first attempts will begin. To reach it, you'll need to have workers take on the same kind of work as early prospectors, sifting through sediment and separating what little gold they can find. Will this be enough? Who knows. New regions might offer better opportunities.Discover what lies beyond in Wild West Pioneers!