California Before the Gold Rush

1
California Before the Gold Rush

• Spain had set up missions in CA to secure their
  claims to the area

2
California Under Mexico

• Mexico, when they gained their independence,
  converted the missions into presidios
• Offered citizens land grants, called rancheros,
  if they moved to the California Territory

3
Americans Moving West

• In search of land ownership, at a cheap price,
  many who lived in the U.S. looked west
• Louisiana Purchase
• Oregon Country
• Mexican Territory
• Texas
• California

4
Why Oregon California instead of the Great
Plains?

• 1. Fertile Land

5

• 2. Manifest Destiny
• 3. Accessibility by Ship
• 4. Trade
• China
• Spice Islands

6
Some people were willing to trek to Northern
California

• Year-round mild climate
• Sufficient rainfall for farming
• Potential trade ports

7
Main CA Destination San Francisco Area

• Had a deep and large natural harbor
• Had inland rivers that fed into it
• Difficult to access from east coast by land
  and/or water

8
Getting to California before 1848

• 1. By Land

or
2. By Sea
9
By Land

• To the end of the Oregon Trail
• Then south to California

10
Getting to California by Land

• Many were reluctant to move to California because
  the Sierra Nevada Mountains were difficult to get
  around and there was no known route through them
  that could be reached before winter

11
Getting to California by Ocean

• Passing South America around Cape Horn was
  treacherous, cold and may cost lives

12
Panama Short Cut

• Get off on eastern coast of Panama
• 2-3 day hike from Gulf of Mexico to Pacific Ocean

• Wait for a ship on western coast
• Could take a few days or months
• Often ended up being the same ship
• Risk catching malaria and dying

13
Destination in CA Sutters Fort

• Many who came to CA sought refuge at Sutters
  fort
• Founded by John Sutter during Mexicos control of
  CA

14
Founder John Sutter

• Born in Switzerland as Johann Sutter
• Failed Businessman
• 1834 he left his wife and kids to try his
  business luck in America
• Came to California in 1839

15
Sutters Fort

• Farmed wheat, barley, peas and beans
• Produced traded whiskey brandy
• Exported wheat to Russia
• Issued passports to American Immigrants -- his
  future customers

16
Hastings Cutoff

• Hasting knew there had to be a more direct way to
  get to Sutters Fort in California
• Without ever traveling the cutoff, he published
  directions and they were sold to pioneers on the
  Oregon Trail

17
Donner Party

• The Reed Donner Families left Springfield, IL
  on April 18, 1846
• They joined the Russell Train outside of
  Independence, MO
• The train left in mid May, 1846

18
Donner Party decides to take the short cut

• In July they get word that Hastings will lead
  trains across his short cut
• Hastings would meet trains at Ft. Bridger in
  present day Wyoming

19
Hastings had already left Ft. Bridger by the time
the Reed-Donner Party arrived

• With 74 people and 20 wagons the Donner Party
  sets off to catch up with Hastings
• Some ride ahead to catch him
• Hastings advises they take a different route

20
They spent 15 days hacking through the terrain of
the route Hastings suggested

• The Donner Party was now about 3 weeks behind the
  Hastings Party would never catch up

21
The Donner Party made a few wrong turns and
barely made it to the eastern edge of the Sierra
Nevada Mountains before winter
22
They had also wasted a lot of precious time
backtracking
23
By the time they reached the Sierra Nevada,
winter had arrived early and the Donner Party
missed the opportunity to cross the Sierra Nevada
by 1 day
24
The Snow cut them off until early Spring
25
They built makeshift housing and resorted to
cannibalism in order to survive
26
Rescue

• Some members of the Donner Party had gone ahead
  to Sutters Fort before the snow had completely
  cut them off
• They were able to get help but the snow prevented
  any rescue attempt until early spring

27
Statistics of the Donner Party

• Of the Donner family George his wife died at the
  camp, so did his brother Jacob and his wife, and
  almost all the Donner children
• James Reed had reached Sutter's fort and led one
  of the rescue parties.  His family survived 
• Patrick Breens family all survived
• In total, of the 87 men, women and children in
  the Donner party, 46 survived, 41 died.

28
Spring Rescue

• The rescue parties were horrified at what had
  happened
• Few survivors were ever willing to talk about
  what happened

James Reed
daughter Patty
29
News of the Donner Party

• News of the Donners fate spread all over the
  U.S.
• Emigration to CA dropped drastically until gold
  was found near Sacramento in 1848

30
1. How did Spain secure their claim to the
California Territory?

1. They set up forts every 100 miles along the coast
2. They set up trading ports in San Diego, San
   Pedro, Monterey, and San Francisco
3. They formed a treaty with England, France,
   Russia, and the United States
4. They established missions

31
2.Why were so many people living in the United
States moving west before 1848?Choose all that
apply

1. To own land
2. To get away from the recession in the east
3. To search for gold
4. To start a new life
5. Fulfill the belief in Manifest Destiny
6. Profit from trade with Asia

32
3Why were some people attracted to northern
California?

• Because it was easier to get to than Oregon
• Because of the mild climate
• Because the Native-Americans were peaceful

33
4Why was California so difficult to reach?

1. Had to sail around south America or cross the
   Andes to get there
2. Had to either sail around South Africa or cross
   the Appalachian Mountains to get there
3. Had to travel to Oregon first or sail around
   South America or cross Panama and risk malaria

34
5 Where was the main destination for U.S.
emigrants to California?

1. Sutters Fort
2. San Francisco
3. Sacramento
4. Los Angeles
5. Monterey

35
6 What delayed the Donner Party?

1. They rested too often
2. They got lost and also spent too much time
   hacking a new path
3. They had to stop due to illness fatigue

36
7 Why did emigration to California drop in the
mid 1840s?

• There werent any settlements in California
• The land was not suitable for farming
• California was too difficult to reach by ship
• The fate of the Donner Party scared off potential
  emigrants

37
1. How did Spain secure their claim to the
California Territory?

1. They set up forts every 100 miles along the coast
2. They set up trading ports in San Diego, San
   Pedro, Monterey, and San Francisco
3. They formed a treaty with England, France,
   Russia, and the United States
4. They established missions

38
2.Why were so many people living in the United
States moving west before 1848?Choose all that
apply

1. To own land
2. To get away from the recession in the east
3. To search for gold
4. To start a new life
5. Fulfill the belief in Manifest Destiny
6. Profit from trade with Asia

39
3Why were some people attracted to northern
California?

• Because it was easier to get to than Oregon
• Because of the mild climate
• Because the Native-Americans were peaceful

40
4Why was California so difficult to reach?

1. Had to sail around south America or cross the
   Andes to get there
2. Had to either sail around South Africa or cross
   the Appalachian Mountains to get there
3. Had to travel to Oregon first or sail around
   South America or cross Panama and risk malaria

41
5 Where was the main destination for U.S.
emigrants to California?

1. Sutters Fort
2. San Francisco
3. Sacramento
4. Los Angeles
5. Monterey

42
6 What delayed the Donner Party?

1. They rested too often
2. They got lost and also spent too much time
   hacking a new path
3. They had to stop due to illness fatigue

43
7 Why did emigration to California drop in the
mid 1840s?

• There werent any settlements in California
• The land was not suitable for farming
• California was too difficult to reach by ship
• The fate of the Donner Party scared off potential
  emigrants

44
Answers

• D
• A,B,D,E,F
• B
• C
• A
• B
• D

• 1848 John Marshall finds Gold on Sutters Land

45
Routes to the West

• Unit Objective examine the cause and effects of
  Independence Movements west south of the United
  States investigate and critique U.S.
  expansionism under the administrations of Van
  Buren, Harrison, Tyler, Polk.

46
Routes to the West

• Map Exercise
• Turn to the map in your unit packet titled
  Routes to the West which shows the main trails
  followed by people traveling to the Southwest,
  Oregon, and California during the early and
  mid-1800s.

47
Routes to the West
Print the following place names next to the
corresponding numbers

• 1 Independence
• 2 Nauvoo
• 3 Fort Kearney
• 4 Fort Laramie

• 5 Independence
• Rock
• 6 Fort Bridger
• 7 Salt Lake City
• 8 Fort Hall

48
Routes to the West
Print the following place names next to the
corresponding numbers

• 9 Fort Boise
• 10 Whitman
• Mission
• 11 Vancouver

• 12 Sacramento
• 13 Bents Fort
• 14 Santa Fe
• 15 Los Angeles

49
Routes to the West

• Trace the Santa Fe Trail by connecting the
  16s between Independence and Santa Fe. Print
  Santa Fe Trail next to it.

50
Routes to the West

• Connect the 17s between Santa Fe and Los
  Angeles, and label it the Old Spanish Trail

51
Routes to the West

• Trace the dotted line which shows the Mormon
  Trail from Nauvoo to Salt Lake City. Print Mormon
  Trail next to it. Label the Great Salt Lake

GREAT SALT LAKE
52
Routes to the West

• Trace the Oregon Trail by connecting the number
  18s between Independence and Vancouver. Print
  Oregon Trail next to it. Print Willamette Valley
  just below Vancouver. Label the South Pass
  between Independence Rock and Fort Bridger

Willamette Valley
South Pass
53
Routes to the West

• Connect the 19s, and label the California Trail.
  Print Donner Pass northeast of Sacramento. Print
  Sacramento Valley south of Sacramento.

Sacramento Valley
54
Routes to the West

• Label the Rocky Mountains (from Texas to Oregon)
  and the Sierra Nevada Mountains (northeast of
  Sacramento).

Rocky Mountains
Sierra Nevada
55
Routes to the West

• Color/ lightly shade the map
• Blue Great Lakes, Rio Grande, Pacific Coast,
  Atlantic Coast, Gulf of Mexico Coast

Atlantic
Pacific
Gulf of Mexico
56
Routes to the West

• Color / lightly shade the map
• Anything but blue Mexico Canadian borders

Canada
Mexico
57
Routes to the West

• Color / lightly shade the map
• Anything but colors already used The United
  States