In 1849 gold was discovered in California. This event encouraged many people to move west and seek their fortunes. Many songs were written about these prospectors. Most of the people who moved west did not get rich by finding gold. Some became farmers and lumberjacks. Later the western states were modernized by the use of hydroelectric power. Read the stories that these songs tell and learn about how the region was settled.

Choose the correct answer.

  1. Sweet Betsy from Pike was sung in the mining camps of California during what historical event?

 The French and Indian War The California Gold Rush something else

  1. In the song Sweet Betsy from Pike what was Betsy and Ike’s final destination?

 California the East Coast Illinois

  1. How did Betsy and Ike travel?

 on footcovered wagon pulled by oxen on horseback by train

  1. What disease did Betsy and Ike suffer during their journey?

 measles cholera chicken pox

  1. What desert would Ike and Betsy have crossed?

 the Mojave Desert the Sahara Desert There was no desert.

  1. Many folk songs talk about the California Gold Rush of ’49. This song tells the story of an unsuccessful miner who went north to become a farmer.

 Roll On, Columbia Lumber Camp Song Acres of Clams

7. Manypeople went to California to get rich in ’49. Did they all get rich?  No  Yes

  1. Write the line in Acres of Clams that tells us what happened to most of the people who went to get rich:
  1. In Acres of Clams the perfect place to live is along the Puget Sound. In which state is this located?

 Washington California Nevada

  1. Why didn’t the man become a farmer in the song Acres of Clams ?

 He didn’t like farming. He didn’t know how to farm. The soil was too rocky.

  1. The lumber industry is very important in the Northwest. How was this worker’s life similar to the life of a lumberjack in Wisconsin?

 They work in the winter cutting down pine trees. The sawyers and choppers cut the trees.  The swampers and teamsters take the trees away. They leave the camps in the springtime.

 All of these things.

  1. Woody Guthrie wrote the song Roll on Columbia. What was he writing his song about?

 the Columbia River the city of Columbia the state of Columbia

  1. In which states would you find the Columbia River?

 California & Nevada Washington & Oregon Washington & Idaho

  1. Which of these rivers does NOT flow into the Columbia?

 Klickitat River. Snake River. Mississippi River  Yakima River

  1. Why is the Grand Coulee Dam important to the Northwest

 It provides hydro-electric power for factories. It provides hydro-electric power for homes.  It is used to irrigate the land.  All of these things.

  1. What famous explorers traveled along the Columbia River?

 Lewis & Clark Ponce de Leon Laurel & Hardy