Question

Gold!

Grade 4, 520L

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Did you know that the first gold found in the United States was in North Carolina? In 1799 a twelve-year-old boy named Conrad Reed discovered it. He found a large yellow rock in a creek on his farm. The Reeds lived east of Charlotte in Cabarrus County. Conrad’s family used the rock as a doorstop for three years. Then they brought it to a jeweler who told them it was gold and purchased it.

The Reeds and some partners began digging for gold along the same creek bed. Peter, one of the partners’ enslaved workers, found an even larger hunk of gold just six inches below the surface. Other landowners in the region soon discovered gold on their properties too and set up nearly 100 gold mines. In 1837 the U.S. government established a mint in Charlotte to turn gold from the region into coins. North Carolina produced the most gold in the country until the 1850s, after the California gold rush began.

Conrad Reed grew up and stayed in Cabarrus county. Like his father, he farmed and raised a large family. Gold mining continued at the Reed Mine for over one hundred years. Today Reed Gold Mine is a State Historic Site. You can visit there, tour the old mine and pan for gold. What do you think you might find?

This passage was written by the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. For more information on this topic, visit here.

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Which state produced the most gold before 1850?
A
California

B
Massachusetts

C
North Carolina

D
Georgia

Answer 1

North Carolina was the leading producer of gold in the United States before the 1850s when the California Gold Rush began.

Step-by-step explanation:

The state that produced the most gold before 1850 was North Carolina. According to the passage, North Carolina was the leading producer of gold in the United States until the 1850s when the California Gold Rush began. In 1799, a twelve-year-old boy named Conrad Reed discovered the first gold in the United States on his family's farm in North Carolina. This led to the establishment of nearly 100 gold mines in the region, and North Carolina produced the most gold in the country until the California gold rush began in the 1850s. It is noted that in 1837, the U.S. government even established a mint in Charlotte to process the gold from this region.