The California Gold Rush

The California Gold Rush

Moving West

• As people moved west, they had to cross the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains.

• The Oregon Trail was a trail from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon that was used by settlers moving west by wagon train.

• Settlers brought lots of supplies, as well as all or most of their belongings, when they moved west by wagon train. 

Gold

a yellow metal that can be used to make jewelry. Gold is considered valuable; people pay to buy gold metal. 

Multiple Choice

Where would you find naturally occurring gold?

• in plants

• in the ground

1848

In California, men who were building dug up gold.

Word Travels

Without cell phones and computers, news about the gold did travel slowly. But eventually the news reached the eastern part of the United States.  

Multiple Choice

How do you think people on the east coast found out about gold on the west coast?

• cell phones

• written letters

• emails

Many people move west

Over the next three to four years, thousands of people, hoping to get rich, moved to California. Some went to start businesses; others went to mine for gold! 

49ers

People called the miners “forty-niners” because so many

of them came to California in 1849.

Multiple Choice

What year did many people move west in search for gold?

• 1649

• 1492

• 1849

As well as Americans, thousands of people traveled across the Pacific Ocean to search for gold. Many came from China. 

Mining for Gold

One way to search for gold was to “pan” for it. Using a pan, a miner would scoop up gravel from a stream. Then the miner would

hold the pan under the water for a few minutes. The flowing water would wash away all the gravel and leave the heavier gold flakes behind. 

A man named Levi Strauss traveled to California with a strong denim fabric. Levi Strauss hoped to make tents out of the strong fabric and become rich. But other people had gotten there first. Miners already had tents. So Levi looked around and noticed that miners’ pants were full of holes from mining or panning for gold. 

Most miners wore pants made out of soft cotton fabric. Levi Strauss used his fabric to make strong denim pants.

Thousands of miners bought Levi’s pants. People like Levi, who started businesses, often became richer than those searching for gold. 

Open Ended

What did Levi Strauss invent and why?