Legends and stories about the Gold Rush are mainly known to us thanks to the works of Jack London. This expression is most often associated with the Klondike or California. However, the Russian Empire also had its own Gold Rush.

As usual, major discoveries happen unexpectedly. In the early 19th century, exiled worker Yegor Lesnoy, while working in timber felling by the river Sukhoi Berikul, discovered small gold nuggets. He did not tell anyone about his find but made the mistake of paying with gold to passing traders. Soon rumors of gold deposits reached the Urals, and the Popov merchants sent an expedition there. Although Yegor Lesnoy did not reveal the exact location of the find, the Popovs still learned about the deposits, and Yegor was later found strangled. By 1828, merchants organized gold mines in the Krasnoyarsk, Achinsk, Kansky, and Nizhneudinsk districts, marking the beginning of the gold rush in Russia, which brought 583 tons of gold over 50 years.

In search of fortune, thousands of people headed to Siberia. Some were lucky, while others returned empty-handed. The biggest fortune was amassed by Gavrila Masharov, who, exploring rivers and lakes, discovered almost 100 gold placers. At first, he mined gold himself, then hired workers. After 10 years, he earned over a million rubles and became the richest miner in Siberia. He built himself a palace with glass galleries and greenhouses, where he grew pineapples and roses, and his factory produced velvet. Masharov was called the 'Emperor of the Taiga.' However, his wealth attracted bandits, and ultimately he met his demise.

Another prospector who lost his head over wealth was Nikolai Myasnikov, who handed out business cards made of thin gold plates. This was just the beginning of the Gold Rush in the Russian Empire.