THE
DISCOVERY OF GOLD
DISCOVERY OF GOLD
In January of 1848, this man hired a carpenter to build him a saw mill along the banks of the American River.
Who was John Sutter?
This common phrase from the time period describes the first thing a prospective miner would attempt to accomplish upon arriving at the gold fields.
What was to "stake a claim"?
Most early Chinese immigrants arriving in California claimed to have fled poverty and civil war in China in search of this mythical place.
What is "Gold Mountain"?
Once gold was discovered near their villages, Native Americans typically experienced a significant reduction in this as miners flooded into the area.
What is food?
A rapid and significant increase in this during the gold rush years proved devastating for the Californios.
What was population?
This man has been credited with the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill on January 24, 1848.
Who was James Marshall?
This method of mining involved using water to separate the heavier gold particles from the lighter gravel and silt at the bottom of rivers and streams.
What is placer mining?
Upon their arrival, Chinese miners were forced to pay this to the California state government which significantly reduced their potential profits.
What is a foreign miner's tax?
Miners often brought new strains of these two major diseases with them which proved devastating to nearby Native American populations.
What are measles and small pox?
Settlers who illegally trespassed on Californio lands were often referred to by this derogatory term.
What are "squatters"?
This small seaside town soon became a boom town as the population grew from just 800 in March of 1848 to over 25,000 people by 1850.
What is San Francisco?
This method of mining was easy to learn but was also backbreaking as miners worked hunched over in cold water for hours at a time.
What is panning for gold?
Over time, many Chinese immigrants gave up gold mining and instead started these two types of successful businesses.
What are restaurants and laundries?
Tragically, during the Gold Rush years this proved to be the major cause of death among the Native American population of California.
What was violence?
Californios attempted to fight to keep their lands from being stolen in court but often lost their cases because they did not have these official items proving their land ownership.
What are property deeds?
This President of the United States mentioned the recent discovery of gold in California in his annual speech to Congress in December, 1848.
Who was James K. Polk?
These devices often used by miners to separate out gold particles can be described as long, narrow boxes with tiny ridges along the bottom.
What are sluice boxes?
Once they reached the gold fields, Chinese miners were often met with violence and discrimination as a result of these two major factors.
What are competition and racism?
In 1850, the California state legislature passed a law making this now abolished practice legal toward Native Americans.
What was slavery?
Californios, the original settlers of California, could typically trace their ancestry to one and/or both of these two countries.
What are Spain and/or Mexico?
Gold seekers travelled from all over the world to California mostly traveling by sea but also journeying overland by way of this popular wagon trail.
What was the California Trail?
This highly effective though extremely destructive method of mining involved using water under high pressure to wash down entire hillsides.
What is hydraulic mining?
According to recent census figures, this is the percentage of Chinese-Americans that currently live in the state of California.
What is 40%?
California's first American governor, Peter Burnett, allegedly promoted the genocide of native peoples by supporting the offering these for Native American scalps.
What were bounty rewards?
By 1870s-80s, most Californios who had once been the among the wealthiest men in California, were now suffering from the effects of this.
What is poverty?