Gold Rush Basics
What year did the Fraser River Gold Rush begin?
1858
What was the simplest method miners used to find gold?
Panning
Which group faced a $5 monthly Foreign Miners’ Tax?
Chinese miners
What was the first major boomtown during the Fraser River Gold Rush?
Yale
What year did British Columbia join Canada?
1871
What discovery sparked the Cariboo Gold Rush?
Gold in the Cariboo region in 1861
Name two other mining methods besides panning.
Rocker (rocking box) and sluice mining
Who was the governor of British Columbia during the Gold Rush?
James Douglas
What town became the center of the Cariboo Gold Rush?
Barkerville
Name one way the Gold Rush changed BC permanently.
Population growth, roads, government institutions, multicultural society
Before the Gold Rush, what company controlled trade in British Columbia?
Hudson’s Bay Company
What were two major challenges miners faced in the goldfields?
Harsh weather, expensive supplies, mosquitoes, dangerous river crossings
What nickname was given to Judge Matthew Begbie?
The Hanging Judge
How long was the Cariboo Wagon Road?
About 650 km
What was the real source of wealth during the Gold Rush?
Merchants and service providers, not most miners
What was the main reason thousands of Americans came to BC in 1858?
News of gold in the Fraser River
What type of establishments were common in boomtowns like Barkerville?
Saloons, gambling halls, hotels, general stores
Which Indigenous leader welcomed miners but protected sovereignty?
Chief Kw’eh of the Lheidli T’enneh
What was the main purpose of the Cariboo Wagon Road?
To connect remote goldfields to supply centers and assert government control
What environmental impact did hydraulic mining have?
It damaged hillsides and ecosystems
Which global event helped fuel migration and economic change during the Gold Rush era?
The Industrial Revolution
Which early law enforcement group was sent to maintain order in the goldfields?
Colonial police (precursor to the RCMP)
Who were the Overlanders, and where did they come from?
Prospectors from eastern Canada who traveled overland to BC
Which two rivers were central to the Gold Rush routes?
Fraser River and Quesnel River
Why did Britain create the Colony of British Columbia during the Gold Rush?
To maintain British control and prevent American annexation