1. The California Gold Rush

2. John Sutter
Swiss immigrant who came to California in 1839, intent on building his own private empire.
Gold was discovered on his land
When gold was discovered on his land, people came to search for it.
It destroyed his colony and made him bankrupt

3. James Marshall Discovered gold while working for John Sutter
Neither Sutter or Marshall were happy about it, so they kept it a secret
Marshall was unhappy because he had a sawmill to build, gold hunters would get in his way
James Marshall

4. Mexican Governor Granted John Sutter the land to build a colony
Led to huge economical boom in California

5. Man with a brilliant idea
Sam Brannan
Bought every pick axe, shovel, and pan in the region
Ran through the streets of San Francisco holding up a bottle of gold dust as proof
Became the richest man in San Francisco
Man with a brilliant idea

6. News spreads Rumors go to the East
Sam Brannan- ran around screaming “gold! Gold! Gold from the American River!”
“The Californian” first newspaper to mention the gold strike

7. Miners come to California
whispers of a gold strike had drifted eastward across the country
Many people ignored it because it was a rumor
President James Polk gave a speech confirming that there was a gold strike
Farmers left their fields, merchants closed their shops, and soldiers left their posts and made plans for California

8. How do you find gold?

9. Gold Miners
Who were they

11. The sea route favored by gold seekers from the eastern states
Seasickness was rampant; food was full of bugs, or worse-rancid
Water stored for months in a ship's hold was almost impossible to drink

12. a quicker route
Much harder travel: Malaria and cholera were common.
Once they passed the Pacific, they were stranded
They were stranded until a ferry would pick them up and bring them to San Francisco

13. much shorter than the sea route, but it wasn't faster
Walked westward alongside covered wagons at two miles per hour--->for up to six months
the lack of water
Price for water as high as $100 per drink.
fear of the Native American tribes along the Trail. But after the initial contact, fear often turned to friendliness.

14. Wealth of Miners

15. Gold Nugget

16. Running out of gold By mid 1849, gold became harder to find
The miners moved to more advanced techniques for extracting gold, but it was useless because gold reserves were declining and the number of miners was increasing.
turned to poker and other forms of gambling
crime spread rapidly

17. Changes
At first, miners banded together in informal companies to dam the rivers, reroute the water and expose the gold underneath
When that failed, loose knit groups of miners were replaced by corporations
hydraulic mining- caused a huge environmental problem for California

18. Gold Rush Affects on San Francisco
grew from a small settlement to a boomtown
Roads, churches, schools and other towns were built throughout California.
A system of laws and a government were created, leading to the admission of California as a state in 1850

19. timeline

20. Californa Gold Rush Jeopardy

21. Fun Facts
The people
True and False
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22. What was the football team formed from the California gold rush
Answer

23. The san Francisco 49ers
Back to questions

24. What was so special about John Sutter?
Answer

25. Gold was first discovered on his land (Sutter’s Mill)
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26. Who was known as the richest man in San Francisco
Answer

27. Brannan Keenly
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28. What made James Marshall so famous?
Answer

29. He was the one who first discovered the gold
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30. If people traveled by land from the east coast how far did they have to walk?
Answer

31. 2000 miles (That would really suck)
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32. What was the first newspaper to post about the gold rush?
Answer

33. The Californian
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34. True or false the Indians didn’t know the gold was there?
Answer

35. False but they didn’t want it because it had no value to them
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36. True or false California was already a state before the Gold Rush started?
Answer

37. False but it automatically became a state in 1850 because of this
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38. True or false people that weren't prepared for the trip to California would pay up to 100 dollars for a drink?
Answer

39. True
Answer