The California Gold Rush
By: Cale Herron
Table of Contents Section Title
Page Number
Chapter 1: All about the Westward expansion Louisiana Purchase Lewis and Clark Moving west
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Chapter 2: All about the California Gold Rush How many people came Supplies Route and Trails
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Chapter 3:The impact of the Gold Rush after the Gold Rush
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Glossary
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Bibliography
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Chapter 1: All about the Westward Expansion
Go west or Bust! Westward expansion made a huge change for the better for life in the United States. Louisiana Purchase In 1803, a man named thomas Jefferson made a purchase from France called the Louisiana Purchase. The Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the United States of America. Thomas Jefferson payed $15 million for the Louisiana Purchase. The Louisiana Purchase was called the Louisiana Territory and it was about 828,000 square miles (2,147,000 square Kilometers ). The Louisiana Territory was a unknown land west of the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. The Purchase helped people move out west.
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Lewis and Clark President Thomas Jefferson asked Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to go out and explore the Louisiana Territory. Thomas Jefferson told Lewis and Clark to keep journals to record what they say on the journey and draw maps. Thomas Jefferson also told Lewis and Clark to try and find a water route called the Northwest passage but some people didn't even Know that it existed. The journey Began May 14, 1804 into a unknown land from St.Louis. The journey was over 7,000 miles it was also very dangerous. Nobody knew what was out there not even Thomas Jefferson. Lewis and Clark went with 40 men called the corps of discovery. On the journey they met a woman named Sacagawea and her husband. Sacagawea was very helpful. Lewis and Clark met many tribes and made friends with them also traded with them. They reached the Pacific Ocean 1805. They got home to St.Louis September 1806.
Moving West In the 1840’s pioneers began moving out west. The Pioneers used the Organ Trail and the Mormon Trail. The Pioneers used wagon trains to get to the west. It was a long hard trip and many people did not survive. Some Pioneers moved out for free land, also for farming and ranching, others moved out to California for the Gold Rush to strike rich. Some came for religious freedom. “So many people started moving to the west people started calling it “‘The gateway to the west.’”
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Chapter 2: The California Gold Rush California or Bust! The California Gold Rush started in january 14,1804. It all began with a man named James Marshall at his Sutter's Mill. It started by a accidental find when he saw a shiny sparkly thing in the water that he thought to have been gold so he ran a test and it was actually gold. After somebody realized he had found gold the word got out. People began swarming California. Over 300,000 prospectors came to California for the Gold Rush. There were men called 49’ers . Coming to California People traveled by boat,wagon train, and feet. People used the Santa Fe, Organ, and the California trail to get to California. It was a long hard journey many people died on the way there. There in California The first people arrive were the Mexicans. Since the Mexicans got there early they had to pay $20 a month to mine there. The miners (mined sun down to sun up.) The Miners that got to California last got about $30 a day and the early miners made about $300 a day. The stores made about as much money as the miners by selling mining supplies.
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Mining One of the fastest ways to mine was hydraulic it was a hand or power operated. They used mining pickaxes, shovels. Gold was normally found with quartz . They brought all sorts of stuff like food, water. Reaching the hard to get gold was very expensive.
Chapter 3: After the Gold Rush After the Gold Rush happened, the miners who stayed became farmers or business people so they could make money and provide food for their family. New cities were built and it helped complete America's expansion to the west. People from different cultures came to live in California hoping to find more gold. People were driven away from California by other gold or silver found in another place. The California Gold Rush was very important and helped California become one of the biggest states. There was a message they took in at the Gold Rush you haft to be determined and have hope to achieve your dreams. That is why the California Gold Rush was so important to the westward expansion.
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Glossary Hydraulic- a hand or power operated machine that digs for gold Quartz- a type of mineral found with gold 49’ers- a group of men miners looking for gold Mine- dig,scoop out,excavate Gold Rush- a sudden rush where gold has been discovered
Bibliography Ducksters.”westward expansion.”2016. online. 1/8/2016. WWW.Ducksters.com Judy Monroe. “California Gold Rush”2002.Mankato,Minnesota Trueflix Friedman Mel,”The California gold rush”.New York:children's press,2016
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