PBS
Pbs: American Experience: The Gold Rush
This comprehensive site from American Experience examines many facets of the Gold Rush in California. Read a transcript of the film, find out about the many individuals and groups of people who arrived in California to try to strike it...
OpenStax
Open Stax: Making a Living in Gold and Cattle
In this section, students will learn about the major discoveries and developments in western gold, silver, and copper mining in the mid-nineteenth century. They will be able to explain why the cattle industry was paramount to the...
PBS
The West: William Bent (1809 1869)
From PBS New Perspectives on the West comes this biography on William Bent that discusses his life as a trader at Bent's Fort in Colorado in the early 1800s.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The Mining Boom
The allure of getting rich quick by finding gold or silver was just a dream for most prospectors. Read about the gold and silver rushes that usually ended up enriching the mining industry, not the miner. Find out about the make-up of the...
Other
Virginia City Preservation Alliance: Virginia City History
The gold rush in Montana centered around Virginia City. Find out about the riches found there and the development of Virginia City as a prominent Rocky Mountain town.
Other
New York Public Library: Heading West: Mining the West
A short page on the discovery of gold at Sutter's Fort as well as the impact of mining in the west on relations with Native Americans.