Traveling to the California Gold Rush

Gold was discovered in January 1848 at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, CA. News quickly spread about the discovery, and by 1849 thousands of people began the journey to California in search of fortune.

But how did they get there?

There were three main routes to the California Gold Rush.

1) The Cape Horn Route

2) The Overland Route

3) The Isthmus of Panama Route

The Cape Horn RouteThe Cape Horn Route

This was an overseas journey traveled by ships, such as the sidewheeler ship shown below.

What do you know about sidewheeler ships?

Other ships like the square rigger relied on wind to propel it towards their destination.

The Cape Horn Route MapShips departed from East Coast cities, such as Boston and New York.

They journeyed south, through the Atlantic Ocean, along North America. Then sailed around the southern tip of South America known as Cape Horn.

What dangerous shortcut was occasionally taken on this route?

Boston

Atlantic Ocean

Pacific Ocean

Rio de Janeiro

San Francisco

Cape Horn

Callao

New York

Straits of Magellan

The Cape Horn Route Advantages

Advantages

Safest RouteThis was considered the safest route. The majority of men who traveled this route made it to San Francisco alive.

The Cape Horn Route Advantages

Advantages

Fewer DiseasesThere was less risk of disease on this route than on the other two routes.

The Cape Horn Route Disadvantages

Disadvantages

ExpensiveThe ship routes were very expensive and could cost hundreds of dollars.

The Cape Horn Route Disadvantages

Disadvantages

Overbooked & Crowded

The ships were often overbooked leading to crowded living spaces and overloaded boats.

The Cape Horn Route Disadvantages

Disadvantages

Waves, Winds, & ColdThe most dangerous part of this route was nature.

Huge waves, strong winds, and freezing weather were all risks for the travelers.

The Cape Horn Route Disadvantages

Disadvantages

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Limited Food Variety & Rotten FoodIt was hard to preserve food during this journey.

Selection was very limited and food spoiled quickly.

The Overland Route The Overland Route This route was traveled by wagon. They were pulled by either mules or oxen. The most popular trail was the Oregon Trail.

The Overland Route MapOxen or mule drawn wagons started on the westward trails in Missouri and set out for the San Francisco.

The usual route was the Oregon Trail, which led to the California Trail and to the Gold Rush.

This route was 3,000 miles and took 4-6 months.

Boston

Atlantic Ocean

Pacific Ocean

Rio de Janeiro

San Francisco

Cape Horn

Callao

New YorkMissouri

The Overland Route Advantages

Advantages

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Women and Children Could Go TooThe Overland Route offered a way for families to make the trip to California. The ships were considered too dangerous for women and children.

The Overland Route Advantages

Advantages

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Less ExpensiveThis route was usually less expensive than the ship routes, at least at the beginning of the trip.

The Overland Route Advantages

Advantages

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Better Food OptionsBy traveling a land route, they were able to hunt and fish for food along the way.

The Overland Route Disadvantages

Disadvantages

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DiseaseSickness such as cholera, mountain fever, and pneumonia took many lives on this route.

The Overland Route Disadvantages

Disadvantages

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Mountains and RiversThere were mountains and rivers to crossed in many areas of the land journey. This was very difficult with oxen, a wagon, and family.

The Overland Route Disadvantages

Disadvantages

AccidentsAccidents often happened, such as broken wheel axles, sick oxen, broken bones, and more.

The Panama RouteThe Isthmus of Panama RouteThis route was traveled by ship to Panama. This was the shortest route, taking between 1-3 months to complete.

The Panama Route MapShips set sail for Panama from the East Coast of the US.

When travelers arrived in Panama, they canoed up the Chagres River for 75 miles.

Then they rode mules for 25 miles through the jungle to Panama City.

There they waited for a ship to take them to San Francisco.

Boston

Atlantic Ocean

Pacific Ocean

Rio de Janeiro

San Francisco

Cape Horn

Callao

Philadelphia

Panama

The Panama Route Advantages

Panama Route - Advantages

Quickest RouteThis was the fastest route of all three. Travelers could get to California in the half the time of the other routes.

The Panama Route Advantages

Panama Route - Advantages

Multiple StopsWeary travelers could take a break from life at sea and eat fresh food as they crossed Panama.

The Panama Route Disadvantages

Panama Route - Disadvantages

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DiseasesThere were numerous diseases in Panama, and they took the lives of many passengers waiting to sail to San Francisco. Diseases such as cholera, malaria, yellow fever, and dysentery.

The Panama Route Disadvantages

Panama Route Disadvantages

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Few Ships on the Other SideTravelers were often left waiting a long time to sail from the other side of Panama to San Francisco because there weren’t enough ships coming to take them.

Recap So let’s recap……

How many main routes to the Gold Rush were there?

What were they?

Tell a partner which route you think is best.

Woo hoo1It’s time for a project!!

Woo hoo!!