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Graphic
Other

Object of History: Chinese Miners (Chinese Immigration During the Gold Rush)

For Students 9th - 10th
An image is provided of "Gan Saam Meets El Dorado," which depicts the Chinese miners in California during the 1850s in search of gold.
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Interactive
Other

Object of History: The Gold Nugget

For Students 9th - 10th
Audio-pictorial overview of the story of the California gold rush.
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Handout
Other

California Gold Country: No Place for a Woman?

For Students 9th - 10th
Information about women in the California gold camps.
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eBook
Other

Gold, Greed, & Genocide: The Story of California's 1849 Gold Rush

For Students 9th - 10th
Use the table of contents to explore this site which recounts the plight of the Native Americans who lived in California before the Gold Rush and the impact of the gold rush on their lives.
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Primary
Other

The Object of History: Behind the Scenes With Curators of the Nmah: Gold Nugget

For Students 9th - 10th
Take a look at and lend an ear for primary sources featuring the California Gold Rush. Men and women from around the world landed in the United States and flocked to the west coast in search of nuggets of gold.
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Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Read Write Think: Searching for Gold: A Collaborative Inquiry Project

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Contains plans for six lessons that ask students to research the Gold Rush before teaching each other about it. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains links to sites used in the lessons as well as...
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Interactive
Vocabulary University

My vocabulary.com: Gold Rush California

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This page has a variety of vocabulary puzzles and activities using 19 words pertaining to the Gold Rush in California. It also offers an extensive Vocabulary Word List of 286 words, and ideas for lesson plans on the topic.
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Handout
Other

The Gold Rush: Fantastic Facts

For Students 3rd - 8th
This resource provides information about the Gold Rush.
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Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: The Mining Boom

For Students 5th - 8th
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...
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Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Gold in California

For Students 5th - 8th
The gold rush in California accelerated the western migration of thousands of young American men, who streamed into California to find riches. See who else arrived in California and find out what they did. In addition, there is a map...
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Lesson Plan
Varsity Tutors

Varsity Tutors: Web English Teacher: Karen Cushman

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Have you ever read any of Karen Cushman's work? This site features links to lesson plans and other activities for her books.
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Website
Books in the Classroom

Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site: In Plain Sight

For Students 3rd - 5th
Carol Hurst uses one of her own books, "In Plain Sight," as a basis for this lesson plan on the California gold rush. In addition to discussion questions about the book, Hurst provides ten activities designed to help students explore...
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Westward Expansion the California Gold Rush

For Teachers 5th Standards
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the discovery of gold along the West Coast. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
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Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Panning for History

For Students 4th
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read about a Boy Scout trip that goes panning for rocks, minerals, and gold to learn more about history. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
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Website
Curated OER

National Park Service: Death Valley National Park

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Death Valley acquired its name during the California Gold Rush, but the Timbisha Shoshone inhabited the region long before. The severely hot and dry national park is packed with history, culture, incredible geology, and, believe it or...
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Website
Curated OER

National Park Service: Death Valley National Park

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Death Valley acquired its name during the California Gold Rush, but the Timbisha Shoshone inhabited the region long before. The severely hot and dry national park is packed with history, culture, incredible geology, and, believe it or...
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Website
The History Cat

The History Cat: Westward Expansion

For Students 9th - 10th
Here you can learn about the Oregon Trail, Donner Party, the California Gold Rush, and life as a pioneer through text, images, video, and quotes.
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Primary
Harp Week

Harp Week: Mining Life in California

For Students 9th - 10th
Illustrated article from Harper's Weekly, October 3, 1857, page 632, focusing on Chinese workers and their life in California mining camps.
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Primary
Museum of the City of San Francisco

Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco: Sherman and the Discovery of Gold

For Students 9th - 10th
An account by William Tecumseh Sherman about the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill.
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Website
Huntington Library

Huntington Library: Land of Golden Dreams: California in the Gold Rush

For Students 9th - 10th
A rich site on the California gold rush, 1848-1858. An online exhibit traces the gold rush using primary sources, a teacher page gives lesson plans from 4-12 and a kid's page offers further online adventures. Takes a long time to load.
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Handout
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Ap Us History: 1865 1898: The American West: The Gold Rush

For Students 9th - 10th
Describes the impact of the California Gold Rush of 1848 which brought hundreds of thousands of gold-seeking migrants to the region. This massive influx of people to a place with little law enforcement and no infrastructure led to...
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Handout
Museum of the City of San Francisco

Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco: Gold Rush Chronology 1846 1849

For Students 9th - 10th
A nice timeline of events that occurred from 1846 to 1849 in the California Gold Rush. Hyperlinks to additional information. From the Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco.
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Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Journeys West

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A series of lessons utilizing primary texts, including narratives, photographs, and maps, through which young scholars explore the following question: "What motivated thousands of people to journey west during the 1800s?"
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Handout
The History Cat

The History Cat: The California Gold Rush

For Students 9th - 10th
Describes the events that led to the California Gold Rush, the lives of the miners, the discrimination faced by Chinese immigrant miners and African Americans, the women who mostly stayed behind when their husbands went west as well as...