Name____________________ Date ______________ Period ________________

Riches and Opportunity (The Gold Rush)

Read from "Introduction" to "The Days of Forty-Nine"


1. Where did the gold miners come from?

2. Where was William Swain from?

3. What did he hope to find in California?

4. What did many forty-niners fear as they crossed the plains?

5. What disease was the real danger?

6. What year was the Fort Laramie Treaty signed?

7. How did the California legislature force thousand of foreigners to leave the gold field?

Return to

Have a question about this assignment? "E-mail Mr. Charon!"

The above questions are © 1996 THE WEST FILM PROJECT and WETA and are used with permission as purchasers of "THE WEST" video cassette series.