<p>Chapter 11 – “Expanding West” Name ______</p><p>Section 4 – The California Gold Rush</p><p>Big Idea</p><p>The California gold rush changed the future of the West.</p><p>Key Terms and People</p><p>John Sutter – owned Sutter’s Fort and Sutter’s Mill (sawmill). __Gold___ was first discovered on his property. He ended up going ___bankrupt______.</p><p>Donner party – A group of _settlers______who were going to California in 1846 but were stranded in the mountains. _____42____ of 87 travelers died.</p><p>Forty-niners – The _____gold______-seeking migrants to California in _____1849______. prospect – to search for _____gold______. placer miners – Used pans or other devices to wash __gold___ nuggets out of loose sand or gravel.</p><p>Key Questions</p><p>1. P.366 Staking a Claim: Why might people leave their homes and travel long distances in search of gold?</p><p>The promise of ____wealth______. Many foreigners came to escape problems in their home countries. ______Women______found greater opportunities in the West.</p><p>2. What types of people came to California hoping to benefit from the gold rush?</p><p>In the US, easterners and Midwesterners, including ______slaves______.</p><p>______Immigrants______came from China, Europe, Mexico, and South America.</p><p>3. What was the political effect of California’s rapid population growth?</p><p>It became the __31st__ state only two years after being acquired by the United States.</p>