California Gold Rush

What was "gold fever?"

• A disease caused by exposure to radioactive gold.

• A sudden rise in gold prices caused by the discovery of gold in California.

• An illness that caused people to mistake worthless metals for gold.

• The desire to get rich quick by acquiring California gold.

Which of the following people was most likely to be a "49er?"

• A 50 year old man who was a college professor of geology.

• A 30 year old female farmer from Oklahoma.

• A 40 year old man who was born and raised in California gold country.

• A 20 year old farmer from Missouri.

Place the following events in sequence: A) Gold is discovered in California; B) California becomes a state; C) The Alaska gold rush begins

• A,B,C

• B,A,C

• C,B,A

• A,C,B

Which of the following California towns most likely began as a gold rush town?

• Santa Rosa

• Red Dog

• Fullerton

• Pasadena

You were most likely to strike it rich in the California Gold Rush if you:

• Got to California very quickly after gold had been discovered.

• Used devices like the long tom and the cradle

• Avoided mining camps

• Took the sea route to California instead of the land route.

If you wanted to go from New York to California by ship, you would:

• Travel through the Panama Canal.

• Sail northward to the Arctic Ocean, head west, and then go south past Alaska.

• Sail through the great lakes, and then travel west along the Missouri River.

• Sail south all the way around the tip of South America, and then go north again.

Which word best describes mining camps?

• Wealthy

• Placid (calm)

• Rowdy

• Large

Why did the gold rush end?

• California passed a law against gold prospecting.

• Most of the land in California was bought up by fortune-seekers.

• All the easy-to-find gold was quickly taken.

• The Civil War broke out, and prospectors had to go and fight.

 What year did the gold rush in California begin? 

• 1492
• 1619
• 1776
• 1848

What was it called when miners used pans to separate dirt from gold? 

• Gold sifting
• Dirt panning
• Panning for gold
• Pan searching