The Cariboo Gold Rush

The Cariboo Gold Rush In 1858, there were not many settlers of European descent in the territory that would become British Columbia. For this assignment, you will imagine yourself in the role of a gold miner from Victoria who is trying to make it to the Cariboo gold elds. You have fantasized about striking gold and living a life of luxury. By answering the questions below you will discover how you had to prepare, what supplies you needed, what route you would travel, and all the obstacles you would have to overcome to strike it rich. 1. In Victoria, you purchase a mining license for $5. You are now ready to head to the Cariboo and stake your claim. Describe what claim and title mean in mining. A mining claim is an area of land that the miner has possession of. This allows for less quarrels over land and mines. A mining title allows miners to have basic rights for as long as the title is valid. Source 2. Research the accommodations available for travellers and describe what they were like. Many towns popped up around BC as a result of the Gold Rush. These towns contained everything from inns to saloons and general stores. Musicians would often perform in saloons as entertainment for passing miners. Source 3. Research the Cariboo Wagon Road. Why were camels used? How effective were these animals? CAMELS!!!! Camels were used because they could carry more weight then a mule. Camels were also quite mean, often making horses and mules fall off cliffs to their deaths. Because of camels violent tendencies, they were outlawed from the Cariboo trail only four months after they arrived. Source 4. Research the equipment you will need. List three things every miner should carry. The three things you would need would be a gold pan, a spade, and a pick. The gold pan is used to sift through river mud for gold. The spade for digging up mud, and the pick to hack through harder rocks in the surrounding mountains. fi Source The Cariboo Gold Rush 5. Research Judge Matthew Baillie Begbie. Who was he and why was he known as the “hanging judge”? Judge Matthew Baillie Begbie was a judge with very strict laws. He was appointed by Britain in an attempt to prevent any chaos in a more strict way. He was know as the hanging judge because he killed anyone who didn’t comply with his strict laws, regardless of circumstance. Source 6. Who were Hurdy-Gurdy girls and why did they come to the Cariboo region? The Hurdy-Gurdy Girls were a group of usually four girls that would travel from town to town entertaining miners. They were often musicians and would play music loudly as to be heard over the sound of miners voices. The Hurdy-Gurdy Girls got their name from the instrument they played in Europe, where the custom originated. Source 7. Research mining machines. Describe three methods of mining for gold that you will use. Three main mining machines used int eh gold rush were Cradles, Sluice, and Flumes. Sluice separated gold from dirt by using pressure from running water. In mining sites where water was not readily available, miners used umes, which were long troughs that used gravity brought water over longer distances. Cradles allowed miners to sift gold out form larger amounts of dirt and was more ef cient than panning. 8. Research towns. Describe the early gold mining towns you might encounter on your journey. fl fi fi Many towns were founded by miners following the trail of gold. here towns grew quickly as many of the miners needed supplies and craved entertainment. Saloons and stores in various towns made it easy for miners to spend their gold. me of the most prominent towns include Barkerville, Rich eld, and Camerontown.