Gold Rush Quiz

How were laws regarding mining made during 1849?

• Each mining community made its own laws.
• Each miner wrote different laws
• The federal government made the laws
• All the people followed Biblical principles so there was no need for written laws

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

• Placer mining
• swishing
• panning for Gold
• Operation Separation

Which was the longest of the routes from the eastern half of the United States to the Gold Rush fields of CA?

• The Overland Route
• From New York through the Isthmus of Panama to San Francisco
• From New York around Cape Horn to San Francisco
• B and C are the same distance

Who were the forty-niners? (Read the choices CAREFULLY!)

• Men from all parts of the world who traveled to the gold fields of California in 1849
• Men and women from all parts of the world who traveled to the gold fields of California in 1849.
• People who had spent $1849.00 to pay for transportation to get to California to dig for gold.
• Men from South America who hoped to find gold in California.

Which was the safest way to travel to California from the East?

• Sail all the way around Cape Horn, the southernmost tip of the South American country of Chile
• The Overland Trail
• Sail from New York to Central America and crossing the Isthmus of Panama
• All of the options were pretty safe so it was a matter of personal preference.

Who discovered gold at Sutter’s Mill?

• Francisco Lopez
• James Marshall
• John Sutter
• Nellie Fuzenutt

Could people use the railroad to travel from the eastern half of the United States to California to mine for Gold?

• Yes, but most didn't because the tickets were too expensive.
• No, because the Transcontinental Railroad (that goes across the entire United States) hadn't yet been created.
• Yes, and many chose to get to CA by this method of transportation
• No, because trains are not able to go across the deserts that are in between the eastern portion of the United States and the Sacramento area gold mines.

What is "gold fever?"

• A super-strong excitement that people had for trying to strike it rich by mining for gold in California.
• A disease that many gold miners caught during the journey across the Isthmus of Panama that caused fever, stomachaches, and even death.
• An illness that miners got from inhaling gold dust into their lungs while mining for gold.
• An illness that was common in the gold mining camps of California. It was marked by extreme tiredness and skin that turned yellow, like gold.

Approximately how many people came to California during the Gold Rush (the entire duration of the Gold Rush) ?

• 50,000
• 5 million
• 3750
• 300,000

About how many people who came to California for the Gold Rush ended up leaving with more money than they arrived with?

• about half made money from mining for Gold
• about 1 in 20 left with more money than they came with
• approximately 2000 individuals struck it rich
• 1 in 100 people made money mining for gold