"Fire on The Mountain" Constructed Response
Activity
"We met two wagons coming back from
the Promised Land today. The men with them looked pretty well down in the
mouth...They stopped and we had a long powwow. We gave them some liquor and
grub. They had not been to
~ Traveler Andrew Gordon, 1849
1) Who said the quote above? Is it a
primary or secondary source? Explain.
2) In 1849 thousands of people headed west
trying to reach
3) According to the quote and song, what were
some of the hardships and dangers faced by these travelers?
4) Summarize the meaning and message of both
the quote and song. Be sure to identify similarities and/or differences.
5) How did the California Gold Rush
impact/influence settlement of the
Fire
On The Mountain
Marshal Tucker Band © 1975
Took my family away
from our
Had dreams about the west and started to roam.
Six long months on a dust covered trail.
They say heaven's at the end, but so far it's been hell.
And there's fire on
the mountain, lightening in the air,
Gold in them hills and it's waiting for me there.
We were digging and
shifting from five to five.
Selling everything we found just to stay alive
Gold flowed free like the whiskey in the bars
Sinnin' was the big thing lord, and Satan was his star
And there's fire on
the mountain, lightening in the air,
Gold in them hills and it's waiting for me there.
Dance hall girls were the evening treat
Empty cartridges and blood lined the gutters of the street.
Men were shot down for the sake of fun
Or just to hear the noise of their fourty-four guns
And there's fire on
the mountain, lightening in the air,
Gold in them hills and it's waiting for me there.
Now my widow, she
weeps by my grave.
Tears flow free for her man she couldn't save.
Shot down in cold blood by a gun that carried fame.
All for a useless and no good worthless claim
And there's fire on
the mountain, lightening in the air,
Gold in them hills and it's waiting for me there.
Gold in them hills and it's waiting for me there.