Gold was discovered in California in 1848 at John A. Sutter's sawmill. Sutter had asked his workers to keep the find a secret, but the news leaked. A store owner named Samuel Brannan found out about the gold, stocked his store with mining tools, and spread the word throughout San Francisco. His business boomed, and San Franciscans were soon heading into the mountains to mine for gold and make their own fortunes. Do It! Brannan's business _________ gold mining. Press enter to interact with the item, and press tab button or down arrow until reaching the Submit button once the item is selected A reduced B improved C encouraged D disturbed

To determine the correct answer, we need to understand the relationship between Samuel Brannan's business and gold mining in the given context. According to the provided information, Brannan found out about the gold discovery, stocked his store with mining tools, and spread the word throughout San Francisco. As a result, his business boomed, indicating that his actions had a positive impact on gold mining.

Therefore, the correct answer is C) encouraged.