What Am I ❓#2 – Dried, Salted Codfish

Posted bySusan K. MarlowPosted inPhoto Fridays, What Am I

See more What Am I? Games ➡️

So, what am I? There were 51 great entries. Many entrants thought it was a fossil. Nice try, but in 1865, fossils were just beginning to be discovered. In fact, the term “dinosaur” did not even come into existence until 1841. Since I gave the hint (below) that Jem and Ellie and most other gold miners would be familiar with this item, it couldn’t be a fossil. They would not be familiar with fossils at this point in history.

Hint: Jem and Ellie Coulter from the Goldtown Adventures would know right away what this is, as would ever other miner in the 1850s. You don’t see this much nowadays, but it was a staple of the gold rush.

What Am I? The photo shows the image of “dried, salted codfish.”

History fun: Dried and salted meat was one of the ways miners got their meat during the gold rush. Refrigeration techniques were still relatively new when the gold rush started. Meat that was imported, like this cod, would be salted and dried so it would last the long journey to California. It could be stored for long periods of time without spoiling, and it didn’t weigh much (once it was dried). It made good grub on a prospecting trip. In fact, in my new Goldtown book 5, Valley of Treasure, Jem, Ellie, and Strike pack dried, salted codfish to eat on the trail (along with dried jerky meat and other provisions).

Congratulations, Emma Moody, on your win. You have 48 hours to claim your prize.

Congratulations to these five contestants (out of 51) who guessed correctly.

  1. Sarah Price – “dried or salted fish”
  2. Emma Moody – “dried, salted codfish” (winner)
  3. Katie – “a fish”
  4. Emma A. – “inside of a fish”
  5. Ellie Bowen – “inside of a fish”

Stay tuned for next month’s “What Am I?” giveaway guessing game, coming March 3. Comment with ideas for a (reasonable) prize.

Prize

Published by Susan K. Marlow

I'm the author of the Circle C and Goldtown Adventures series. I blog as "Andi Carter," the main character in the Circle C series. She lives on a huge cattle ranch in 1880s California. These are her adventures.

69 thoughts on “What Am I ❓#2 – Dried, Salted Codfish”

  10. Are you going to do a drawing if there is more then one person who gets it? And are you going to post all the people who got it? Thanks for doing this!!!❤️

    Reply

    1. I don’t think you can say it because it wouldn’t be fair to the others. You have to put it in the form.

      Reply

      2. Thanks for doing this Mrs. M! I really love all your posts!
        My mom follows you to, and my brother Andrew did your zoom writing class!
        I really love your books by the way!

  17. This is really fun Mrs. M.! Thanks! I was wondering if you were goanna do more of these contests. I hope i got the answer right!😀

    Reply

  18. I have a question, Mrs. M. I am reading the “trouble at the line shack” again, and in chapt 3 the drunk in the jail cell is called two name todd and toby. I was wondering if that was a mistake or if there were two people in the jail cell.

    Reply

  24. Thanks for doing this, Mrs. M! These are always so fun! Now I just can’t wait to learn what the picture actually is.

    Reply

  25. I give up on this one! lol, I’ve thought about this many many times this week and still have no clue of what it can be matching the hint! I can’t wait to see what it is!!!! 😀

    Reply

  33. Congratulations Emma!! I can’t believe you actually guessed “dried, salted codfish”. That is amazing! If you don’t mind me asking how did you guess that?!🤓

    Reply

  34. Thanks so much!! This is my first contest to actually win!! And if you’re Ellie Bowen, Congratulations on being in the finalists!! As for how i did it, the answer is research. Lots of research!!

    Reply

    1. I was wondering that too. Because it is exactly the right answer. I got the idea from the Columbia State Historical Park FB group page (Columbia being gold-rush city up in the CA foothills.) I could not guess it but thought it might be a great What Am I? Then double congrats are in order, Emma M., if your research helped you to win!

      Reply

      1. I was researching staples of the California Gold Rush and saw something about Codfish and I looked and it looked the most like the picture you posted so I guessed that!! Again, thank you so much!!

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