California Gold Rush Vocabulary

A set of vocabulary flashcards based on the California Gold Rush lecture notes.

Sutter's Mill

Location near Coloma, California where gold was discovered in January 1848.

James W. Marshall

The person who discovered gold at Sutter's Mill in January 1848.

President James K. Polk

The President who publicly confirmed the discovery of gold in December 1848.

Forty-Niners

People who traveled to California in 1849 seeking gold.

Panning

Mining method using a pan and water to separate gold from sediment.

Sluice boxes

Mining equipment that used running water to separate gold from dirt and gravel.

Hydraulic mining

Mining method using powerful, high-pressure streams of water to break apart hillsides and extract minerals, causing significant environmental damage.

Boomtown

A rapidly growing town created by a sudden increase in population or economic activity.

Manifest Destiny

The 19th-century belief that U.S. expansion across North America was justified and inevitable.

San Francisco

A city that grew rapidly as a direct result of the California Gold Rush.