California Gold Rush Escape Room Activity- U.S. Westward Expansion

The California Gold Rush Escape Room will take students on a secret mission around the classroom! This escape room has students decode interesting facts about the mass immigration called the California Gold Rush. Sometimes students just need a day of movement around the room!

The California Gold Rush Escape Room has students walking around the classroom breaking codes. Students are given a secret code name and sent on a secret mission to discover new gold! The codes include ciphers, Morse code, cryptograms and a final 4 digit combination based on the decoders/clues.

Each clue and code is different. The codes require students to think differently to decipher or decode them. Some codes are easier than others. Some codes require critical thinking to determine what a letter/symbol stands for. Each code will reveal interesting facts about the California Gold Rush. The use of secret code will keep your students engaged while competing to find the final 4 digit combination. No props needed!! Students can report the final code/combination to you. If you wanted to, you could purchase a 4 digit lock that you program, but is not necessary at all!

The best age range for this resource is 8+. Please look at the preview to determine if this resource works for your age group. Younger students may need some help with some of the more difficult codes.

You can use the pre-labeled clues or you can challenge older kids to choose/find the decoder that works for each of the clues. A set of labeled and non-labeled decoders are included.

An answer key and teacher directions are provided.
Time needed: 30-60 minutes

This escape room includes 12 fun, colorful signs to take class pictures with at the end of the mission. Signs include “Puzzle Master”, “She did all the work”, “Genius”, “We did it”, “I Escaped” and more! Hang the pictures in your room, send them in a parent newsletter or share them on social media 