By: Nathan Chandler
3 min
Image: Hultonâ Archive/Getty
About This Quiz
The gold rush sparked an epic stampede into the unknown countryside. How much do you know about California's gold-fueled insanity?
What was the name of the worker who first found gold flecks in water near a sawmill?
James W. Marshall
John Sutter
John C. Fremont
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
He almost immediately realized that he'd found minerals of great importance.
What was the approximate purity of the first gold found during the rush?
99%
96%
94%
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
That would make it 23-karat gold.
Why did James W. Marshall have to leave the land where he was building a sawmill?
Too many men wanted jobs working for him.
Crowds of prospectors forced him to leave.
The government claimed his land for gold mining purposes.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
His land was overrun by frenzied wannabe prospectors.
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What is considered the first year of the California gold rush?
1852
1850
1848
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
Gold was found near Coloma, California, and the word spread very quickly.
Where was the first gold rush in American history?
Delaware
North Carolina
California
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
It happened five decades before the one in California.
Which professionals made the most money from the gold rush?
Prostitutes
Merchants and storekeepers
Gold miners
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
They provided the goods necessary for life on the frontier.
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Why were gold rush prospectors called "Forty-Niners?"
Many arrived in 1849
$49 was about the maximum that most of them would make in gold.
The first group of miners included 50 men but they lost one to cholera.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
And many of them did not last much longer than 1850.
About how many people made it to California in 1849 to begin seeking their fortunes?
400,000
90,000
40,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
Perhaps a third of them came from other countries.
In which year did the gold rush hit its peak in terms of production?
1856
1852
1850
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
By 1855 it was over for most people.
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Which type of rock often contained substantial amounts of gold?
Granite
Quartz
Shale
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
"Hard-rock" mining was harder work but ultimately yielded the greatest amounts of gold.
Roughly how many people turned up in California for the gold rush?
1 million
500,000
300,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
It was a lot of folks; the pre-rush population of San Francisco was fewer than 1,000 people.
What was San Francisco's population two years after the gold rush started?
40,000
25,000
8,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
It was phenomenal growth for a town that started with maybe 1,000 people.
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About how many tons of gold were found using hydraulic mining?
340 tons
900 tons
200 tons
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
The technique involved blasting hillsides with jets of water and then sifting through the debris.
When did California officially become a state?
1850
1858
1861
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
The gold rush caused a rush to statehood.
What was the pre-rush population of Native Americans in California?
About 500,000
About 300,000
About 30,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
They had many traditional areas that they leveraged for food and shelter.
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What was the approximate population of Native Americans in California two decades after the rush?
About 500,000
About 100,000
About 9,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
Nearly two-thirds perished from disease, violence and other conflicts with settlers and miners.
About how many pounds of gold did prospectors find during the rush?
2 million
750,000
2,000
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
That amount of gold would be worth many billions of dollars today.
Why did some escaped slaves wind up in California during the gold rush?
Miners were notoriously anti-slavery.
There was no law enforcement.
They were welcomed with open arms.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
In a lawless land, even former slaves had a chance to start over again.
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Which president kicked off gold fever on the East Coast by announcing gold findings to Congress?
Zachary Taylor
John Tyler
James K. Polk
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
His proclamation added credibility to a gold rush that many people thought was fiction.
What was "claim jumping"?
The act of stealing gold from miners just before they cashed in
When a prospector began work on an area claimed by someone else
When miners jumped from spot to spot, hoping to maximize profits
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
To maintain a claim on a spot, prospectors had to continually work in that area, otherwise their claim was moot.
How did Sam Brannan add fuel the gold rush fire?
He walked around town with gold flakes, shouting the news.
He sent letters about the gold to newspapers on the East Coast.
He offered top dollar for gold flakes at his shop.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
His public display convinced people that the gold was real.
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How did Sam Brannan make his fortune once the gold rush was underway?
He staked a claim to one of the best-producing gold mines.
He sold prospecting tools and supplies.
He invested in the stock market.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
His foresight helped him capitalize on prospectors, and he became a millionaire.
During the peak gold craze, how much might a miner spend for coffee, in today's dollars?
Around $100 per pound
Around $50 per pound
Around $25 per pound
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
Supplies on the frontier were scarce … and extraordinarily expensive.
How did California legislators help to drive out foreign miners?
Revoked passports
Instigated violence against them
Began taxing foreigners
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
A tax of $20 made it nearly impossible for foreigners to afford mining in the area.
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The first gold mining colony eventually became known as what?
Sacramento
Santa Rosa
Oakland
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
It boomed from a camp to a city in just a few years.
How long did it take to sail from the East Coast to San Francisco?
Between five and eight months
About a month
The better part of a year
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
The overland journey wasn't much easier; Northern California was a hard place to reach back then.
In 1860, long after the gold rush's peak, what percentage of the rush-era towns were female?
About 10%
About 20%
About 30%
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
Most women stayed away from the rush's lawless frenzy and the ensuing aftermath.
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Why were hundreds of ships left abandoned in the harbor near San Francisco?
The harbor's severe weather damaged many ships.
Crews left to search for gold.
Captains were too broke to pay crews to return home.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
Crews abandoned ship in the fever to find gold and become rich.
To make his fortune, what product did Levi Strauss sell to miners?
Overalls
Pickaxes
Hats
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
The product eventually evolved into the jeans that are so popular around the world.
What product did Levi Strauss originally plan to sell to miners?
tarps
hats
work gloves
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer
Once he heard that the men needed tough clothing, he decided that overalls were a better choice; he was correct.
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Hultonâ Archive/Getty
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