Welcome to the Golden Year of Brotherhood Dig – A Gold Rush Exploration of the first year of the California Gold Rush as compared to the time when the “World Rushed In’ soon after.
Your Gold Rush Guide: . . . . Tue, Feb 12, 7:27AM PST (-0800 GMT)
The first year after the discovery of gold in California was a very unique time in history. 
The world had not yet learned of the discovery of these riches and it was a time of cooperation between miners, fairness, and sharing. Compared to the crazy greed of later years, when miners had competed fiercely to find gold – and keep it – the first year has been called the “Golden Year’. Let’s learn about the unique circumstance of the Gold Rush.
Your Gold Rush Guide: . . . . Tue, Feb 12, 7:27AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dig Challenge #1 – The first wealth that drew settlers to California was NOT gold – what was it ? button
Your Gold Rush Guide: . . . . Tue, Feb 12, 7:27AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dig Challenge #2 – Where and when was gold discovered ? button
Your Gold Rush Guide: . . . . Tue, Feb 12, 7:28AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dig Challenge #3 – The First Golden Summer of ‘48, the discovery was only known inside California. How did it effect people ? What types of people went to seek the gold? button
Your Gold Rush Guide: . . . . Tue, Feb 12, 7:28AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dig Challenge #4 – What was the average earning of the first gold miners per day? And how did this compare to what a soldier earned in a month ? How much did a shovel cost ? button
Your Gold Rush Guide: . . . . Tue, Feb 12, 7:28AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dig Challenge #5 This first summer of ’48, the year gold was discovered, saw a ‘Brotherhood of Miners’ form .. this was time when there was more gold than they could carry. In this ‘time of innocence’ – where did the miner’s store their gold ? button
Your Gold Rush Guide: . . . . Tue, Feb 12, 7:29AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dig Challenge #6 By the fall of this first year, word started to leak out to all areas of California and aboard? During the fall months – where did new miners come from who hiked into the backcountry looking for gold ? From what cities or countries? button
Your Gold Rush Guide: . . . . Tue, Feb 12, 7:29AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dig Challenge #7 – The Spanish-speaking Californio miners from Southern California arrived in the Sierras in the Fall. They passed their claims on to one another for free, each bringing our many heavy ounces – some even POUNDS - of gold. Can you name the three groups - not US born citizens - who were able to work together peacefully in the gold fields this first year of the California gold discovery ? button
Your Gold Rush Guide: . . . . Tue, Feb 12, 7:30AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dig Challenge #8 – Who announced the Gold Rush to the world from Washington DC and when ? What did he say about it ? button
Your Gold Rush Guide: . . . . Tue, Feb 12, 7:30AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dig Challenge #9 – Once word was published in newspapers around the world – what countries saw men and women leave their homelands to rush to California ? button
Your Gold Rush Guide: . . . . Tue, Feb 12, 7:31AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dig Challenge #10- How did these hopeful prospectors get to California ? Name three routes they traveled. button
Your Gold Rush Guide: . . . . Tue, Feb 12, 7:31AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dig Challenge #11 – Did this new era of miners act peaceably ? Or were they lawless. Ruthless, and sometimes murderers? button
Your Gold Rush Guide: . . . . Tue, Feb 12, 7:31AM PST (-0800 GMT)
Dig Challenge #12 – Name at least six of the unique characteristics of 1848-49 that allowed the California GOLD RUSH to happen as it did - button