Famous Names
Who were the 49ers?
People who travelled to California around 1849 to search for gold.
What method of getting gold was used most often by a goldseeker alone?
panning
Who invented trousers for miners and started a company that still exists today?
Levi Strauss
Why did many people leave the East Coast or other places to head out West?
They wanted new opportunities in life--farms, businesses, or jobs. Some came for the gold rush.
Why did some goldseekers travel by sea?
To avoid the hardships of traveling overland.
Who owned the land where gold was originally discovered in California?
John Sutter
If 2 or 3 men worked together to get gold out of a stream, what method did they most likely use?
Rocking the cradle
How could goldseekers tell the difference between real gold and "fool's gold"?
Gold was heavier and softer. They could bite it! (Please don't try this at home!)
Name 2 geographic challenges that pioneers faced as they travelled west.
mountains, deserts, rivers
What was one shortcut some sea travelers took?
They took one boat to Panama, crossed the jungle, and took another boat. OR they cut time on their long ocean journey with a shortcut at Tierra del Fuego, at the bottom of South America, where there were many rocks and storms.
Who actually discovered gold at Sutter's Mill?
James Marshall
If a bigger team of men worked together, they could get more gold out of a stream with this tool.
Long Tom
Who got the richest from the Goldrush?
merchants who sold things that miners needed
What new settlers were arriving in California (part of Mexico) during the 1840s?
Americans (US Citizens)
Why was the Panama shortcut dangerous?
Jungle animals, injuries, diseases, mosquitos...
Who rushed through the streets, yelling that gold had been discovered (and later made a lot of money selling tools to goldseekers)?
Sam Brannan
This was a particularly dangerous way of mining gold.
Coyote mining (in a shaft, or hole)
Name 2 cities that "boomed" during the Gold Rush.
San Francisco, Sacramento, and Stockton
Name 3 challenges for travellers in wagon trains.
Trouble with Native Americans, injuries, sickness, lack of water, lack of grass for grazing animals, crossing rivers on rafts
For those who went all the way around South America to get to California, what was especially dangerous?
Cape Horn at the tip of South America, which had many storms and rocks that captains needed to avoid.
Who was an explorer who wrote letters about people finding gold to newspapers and convinced people to head West?
John Fremont
This method of getting gold out was very destructive to the environment.
hydraulic mining
Name 3 of the trails used by many pioneers in the 1850s. (Sorry, this one is off-topic for the rest of the category.)
Mormon, Spanish, Oregon, California, Santa Fe Trails
What is the idea called that said that the US should expand from shore to shore?
Manifest Destiny
What did the San Francisco Bay look like during much of the Goldrush?
abandoned boats filled the harbor because sailors and captains left to seek gold