Tales of Gold 4 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Georgia

The first gold rush in the United States was in 1799 at Reeds Gold Mine near Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1828, gold was discovered in Georgia in the southern Appalachians in Lumpkin County near Dahlonega; although there are several stories concerning who found the gold and how, there is no factual source that supports any of them. Nevertheless, gold was discovered and much of it was on land controlled by the Cherokee, which provided one of the excuses that led to the Trail of Tears, the forced migration of the Cherokee from their ancestral lands.

It is estimated that from 1830-1837 the Philadelphia Mint received $1,098,900 in gold from Georgia, with some sources claiming is was more like $2 million; by the 1840s many left the area to find their fortune elsewhere, however, the discovery of new mining techniques meant that gold was mined in Georgia even during the Great Depression.

Answer: California

James W. Marshall's discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California, on January 24, 1848, triggered the California Gold Rush of the Forty-niners. An estimated 300,000 people flocked to California, and California became a state in 1850, one of the few to reach statehood before becoming a territory of the United States. By that time, however, the gold rush was already over for the most part; although people continued to arrive, it reached its peak by 1852.

It is estimated that more than 750,000 pounds of gold were found during the first years of the gold rush, leaving California with a heritage connected to the gold rush - "The Golden State" and "Eureka".

The state also became synonymous with the American Dream of instant wealth and success.

Answer: British Columbia

Beginning in 1857, the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush began after gold was discovered on the Thompson River. Now the provincial capital of British Columbia, Victoria, the nearby settlement of about 500 people, had a population of 30,000 people within a month, and served as a port for those coming into Fraser Canyon.

Although the rush was over by 1860, miners migrated to other gold rush sites in British Columbia, founding more gold rush towns and establishing the infrastructure that would lead to the area becoming a Canadian province in 1871.

As was the case in many of the mining areas, there were conflicts with native people already living in the region who were displaced by those participating in the gold rush.

Answer: Colorado

Interestingly, the gold rush of the Fifty-niners was quite a distance - eighty-five miles - from Pikes Peak in the Southern Rocky Mountains! Choosing an already-known landmark, however, meant that miners had a guide to follow - at least until the last leg of their journey to an area, which today is a suburb of Denver called Englewood.

Originally a part of the Kansas Territory and Nebraska Territory, the Pikes Peak Gold Rush quickly led to an increase in population of the area and the creation of the Colorado Territory in 1861.

It is estimated that 1.25 million ounces of gold had been found in Colorado by 1865. The find was considered to be so significant that the United States Congress established the Denver Mint, which made its first coins in 1906.

Answer: Montana

Many of the miners who went to seek their fortune in the Montana Gold Rush came from California and Colorado initially. Placer deposits, an accumulation of gold formed during the sedimentary process, were found at Grasshopper Creek, where the mining town of Bannock sprang up almost overnight with a population of 3,000 people during that time.

It is estimated that about $700,000 worth of gold was found the first year. The following year another gold deposit was found at Alder Gulch, which led to the establishment of a new town called Virginia City. During the first three seasons it is estimated that $30 million worth of gold was removed from the gulch. Part of the Idaho Territory, the area of the Montana Gold Rush was remote and unforgiving. Gangs operated that robbed the miners; it is estimated that in 1863 100 miners were murdered while on the road between Bannock and Virginia City.

The Montana Gold Rush is considered to be one of the most lawless, as vigilante justice was necessary to control the gangs.

As with many of the gold rush areas, once the placer deposits had been mined, people moved on to other areas, and many settlements were abandoned.

Answer: South Dakota

The Black Hills Gold Rush began in 1874 and quickly reached its peak in 1876-77. A small mountain range that is located in parts of South Dakota and Wyoming today, the Black Hills gained its name because, covered with tress, the hills did appear to be dark.

The stories of gold in the Black Hills had been told since the 1860s, when Father De Smet, a Catholic missionary, said that he saw the native peoples with gold; they told him that it had come from the Black Hills. Fred and Moses Manuel, Hank Harney and Alex Engh discovered gold in present-day Lead, South Dakota, on April 9, 1876; they named their claim Homestake.

Their mine, however, was sold for $70,000 the following year to the Homestake Mining Company, who then sold shares in the company.

It was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1879 and became one of the longest-listed stocks in history. Even though the gold found at Homestake was considered to be a low grade, less than one ounce per ton, there was a huge amount there. For 125 years it produced 10% of the world's gold supply for 125 years; at the time it was closed in 2002, it was the largest and deepest mine in North America.

Answer: Nevada

Comstock Lode has famously been known as the site of an important silver ore discovery. It must be remembered, however, that while 57% of the wealth taken from the Comstock Lode was silver, 42% of the wealth was gold! Gold was found in this region in the spring of 1850, by a group of Mormons who were on their way to California.

While camping along the Carson River, placer gold was found. The group, however, left the area, but not before giving it the name Gold Canyon. Other miners followed and found modest success.

However, it was in 1859 when the lode of silver ore was discovered in the area, that a new rush began. Interestingly, Nevada is called "The Silver State", however, most of the bonanzas, or discoveries there after the Comstock Lode were gold.

Answer: Colorado

Cripple Creek, which is west of present-day Colorado Springs, is considered to be the last big Colorado gold strike. Within two years the population of the town rose from five hundred to ten thousand, and an estimated $500 million worth of gold ore was dug from the area.

The mines continued to produce longer than most, and by 1930 over $400 million in gold had been produced and and close to 30 people had become millionaires due to their discoveries. After that, however, the city became almost a ghost town until 1991 when Colorado voters allowed Cripple Creek to establish legalized gambling. Today there are casinos in many of the historic buildings and gambling is the activity that brings in the big money.

In 2012, Colorado casinos raised over $104 million in tax revenue.

Answer: Yukon Territory

Named after a small river, the word Klondike comes from a native word, "Tr'ondėk", meaning "hammerstone water". Located in a remote part of Canada, it was no easy feat to reach the gold field. Sailing on the river was the only way to reach the Klondike.

However, most of the 100,000 miners who traveled there from 1896-99 had a ways to go before even reaching the river. Dawson City went from being a Native American gathering site to a town of 40,000 people within two years. The population, however, fell to about 8,000 people after a new gold rush in 1899 led prospectors to another location. Altogether it is estimated that $42.5 million in gold was mined in the three year period.

Answer: Alaska

Nome grew into a gold mining town overnight. Organized as the Nome mining district, the U.S. Army was brought into the area to keep the peace. Interestingly, much of the gold first found at Nome was beach gold; it could be taken by anyone without any need for a claim! People lined by side by side on the beach to pan or use other simple mining equipment.

While the population in 1890 was 2754 according to census records, by 1900 the population had risen to 12,488; it was estimated that by that time about 1,000 new arrivals came into the settlement every day. From 1900-1909 the population rose to 20,000, and by the time of the 1910 census, the gold rush was over.

The population of the city had fallen to just 2600. Mining there continues to this day.

It is estimated that the gold field has yielded over 3.6 million troy ounces of gold.