California Gold Rush Quiz

What was the name of the first gold mining town in California?

• Sacramento

• Coloma

• San Francisco

• Los Angeles

Who owned the sawmill where gold was first discovered in California?

• John Sutter

• James Marshall

• Levi Strauss

• Samuel Brannan

What year did California pass a law allowing white men to arrest American Indians and put them to work?

• 1848

• 1850

• 1860

• 1875

Which two cities developed significantly because of the Gold Rush?

• Los Angeles and San Diego

• Sacramento and San Francisco

• Coloma and Oakland

• Fresno and Bakersfield

What term was used to describe the people who rushed to California in search of gold?

• Minutemen

• Forty-niners

• Pioneers

• Settlers

What was a common problem in mining camps during the Gold Rush?

• Flooding

• Theft and claim jumping

• Drought

• Earthquakes

Why were prices high in the mining camps?

• Because gold was worthless

• Because goods were scarce

• Because there were too many stores

• Because of low demand

What group suffered greatly during the Gold Rush?

• Merchants

• American Indians

• Miners

• Forty-niners

What did miners form to deal with crime in the camps?

• Police departments

• Vigilante groups

• Fire brigades

• Town councils

Which group became wealthier during the Gold Rush: miners or merchants?

• Miners

• Merchants

• Both equally

• Neither