How did the discovery of gold and other minerals impact settlement of the frontier in the mid-1800s? a. the discovery of gold and other minerals did not impact the population of the west. b. it slightly increased the population, as most gold-seekers left the west when they were unsuccessful in finding gold. c. it greatly increased the population, as thousands of gold-seekers traveled to the west and settled there. d. it slightly decreased the population, as thousands of settlers left the west in order to avoid disputes between gold-seekers.