1. California Here I Come! The Gold Rush That Changed our State By Terri Clancy

2. A Golden History Gold is valuable because –it won’t tarnish –it’s soft –of it’s beauty –easy to work with –it’s scarce (hard to find)

3. Gold! Gold! Gold found on the American River! James Marshall found gold on January 24, 1848 on the South Fork of the American River in Coloma. Sam Brannan helped create the gold rush by spreading the news and eventually bringing proof that there were lots of gold to be found. Everyone thought it was a quick and easy way to get rich.

4. Getting to California was dangerous and hard. It took 3 months to a year. TWO ROUTES: The overland route was by wagon, horse, mule or by walking across North America. It took 6-12 months to travel and was 1600 miles long. The sea routes were by the Cape Horn or by the Panama Route.

5. There are many ways for mining gold. Miners started simple and then became inventive in getting the hard to find gold. They used: –panning for gold with pans –the cradle –the long tom –coyote mining –hard rock mining –hydraulic mining

6. Miners’ Court –created own laws and justice Staking a Claim –selected a claim, staked it, recorded with a camp recorder and worked the mine Camp Justice –quick and rough –hanging, flogging, banishment or fines depending on the crime

7. Life in the Mining Camps Food and Housing –Everyone lived and operated out of tents. –The principal foods were salted pork, some form of cooked flour, beans, and coffee. –Food was scarce and extreme hunger was common. Prices of goods in mining camps –Prices were very high. Living conditions –Life was harsh. Unsanitary conditions and lack of nutritious food lead to malnutrition, scurvy and cholera. Entertainment –Men had to create their own amusements. They drank, gambled, and danced. Since women were scarce they danced with each other.

8. GAMBLERS!BOYS!SLAVES WITH THEIR OWNERS! FORIEGNERS!WOMEN! YOUNG MEN! They were hungry for gold. They wanted to get rich quick and return home wealthy. However, most ended up staying to start a new business or take up the trade they left behind and help a new state grow.

9. Calaveras nugget weighed 162 pounds and was worth $43,534. At Rich Bar four men found $50,000 worth of gold in one day. Biddy Mason, a slave, was freed when her master tried to return to his own state with her. In all, the Mother Lode (a name for the California gold fields) yielded over $250 million. The population rose from 26,000 in 1848 to 380,000 a few years later. California became a 31st state. Nickname for the miners who first arrived in 1849 was ‘forty-niners’. The men who really got rich were the merchants and businessmen. When the miners decided it was too hard to find gold they either went home, went to another gold strike in another state like Nevada and Colorado, or stayed and opened up businesses.

10. Who discovered gold in California? When? Why do people want gold? What are the two ways to get to California? What types of food did the miners eat? What would a miner have to do if someone stole his equipment? Would you like to be a miner? Why or why not?