Early Frontier
Who was the woodsman and explorer famous for blazing a route through the Cumberland Gap?
Daniel Boon
Which president authorized the Louisiana Purchase that led to Lewis and Clark’s expedition?
Thomas Jefferson
What valuable animal pelt became frontier “hard currency” and drove trapping in the Rockies?
Beaver
In what year did the large wagon train migration begin that moved people toward Oregon and California?
1846
In what year was gold first discovered in California that sparked the Gold Rush?
1848
What was the British policy about western expansion that Daniel Boone defied?
The King of England had outlawed Westward Expansion
What major geographic feature did Lewis and Clark cross that was described as “90 separate mountain ranges”?
The Rocky Mountains
How many calories per day did mountain trappers need to survive the harsh conditions, according to the documentary?
About 6,000 calories a day
Roughly how many miles could pioneers expect to travel to reach the West?
About 2,000 miles
What battle/siege became a rallying cry during the Texas Revolution?
Remember The Alamo
Name one danger Boone and his men faced in the wilderness.
Who was the Native American teenager who helped guide Lewis and Clark and saved their journals?
Sacagewea
Who was Jedediah Smith, and what two traits made him successful as a mountain man?
Great hunter / trapper. He was skilled, worked with Native Americans, devout / disciplined
What deadly decision did George Donner make that led to tragedy for his wagon train?
He followed Hastings Cutoff, a supposed shortcut that actually added distance and delayed them into winter in the Sierra Nevada
According to the documentary, who usually made the most money during the Gold Rush?
Merchants and landowners who supplied miners often profited most
About how many of Boone’s men died while settling Kentucky, and how many Americans poured in behind him within 20 years?
50 died, and within 20 years about 200,000 Americans followed
Name two scientific or practical results of the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Discovered ~ 300 species of wildlife, mapped routes useful for science and agriculture, found beaver-rich regions
What predator is described as the most deadly frontier beast, and about how many existed at the time?
The Grizzly Bear, about 100,000 then (now less than 2,000)
How many Americans died reaching the West overall, and how many graves per mile does the documentary mention?
About 20,000 Americans died, transcript says 10 graves for every mile
Give two consequences of the California Gold Rush on population or cities.
California population rose from ~15,000 to 100,000 in two years, SF land values exploded, towns and cities grew from mining camps