Describe the daily working life of a Gold Rush miner, including panning technique, camp conditions, and the reality that most miners did not get rich.
A "forty-niner" -- someone who rushed to California, especially in 1849 -- spent long days doing simple but exhausting work. The most basic method was panning: scooping gravel and water into a shallow pan, swirling it around, and letting heavier gold settle to the bottom while lighter gravel washed over the edge. Miners later built rocker boxes and sluices, wooden devices that let them process much more gravel per day than a single pan.
Camps were rough and overwhelmingly male, with tents or hastily built cabins standing in for real housing. Because so many people needed the same limited supplies, prices for basic goods like eggs or flour could be shockingly high compared to back home. Despite the dream of instant riches, most miners never struck it rich; many worked hard for months and left with barely more than they arrived with, or less. The people who profited most reliably were often not miners at all, but merchants selling supplies to them -- a pattern you will look at closely in a few weeks.
Mastery looks like: They can explain the panning technique, name a more advanced mining tool, and state that most miners did not become wealthy.
Common stumbles: Believing most forty-niners struck it rich; picturing mining camps as comfortable or well-supplied.