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Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Postal Museum: As Precious as Gold

For Students 9th - 10th
"As Precious as Gold," is an online exhibit from the National Postal Museum which explores the rich history of the Alaskan/Klondike gold rushes. Find stories on extraordinary women, the trails, the Palm Sunday avalanche, the U.S. Postal...
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Primary
Duke University

California Gold: The Diary and Letters of James M. Burr

For Students 9th - 10th
Wonderful primary resource on the California Gold Rush. Read actual letters and a diary--with explanatory annotations--by a prospector from 1850-1853.
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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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Website
Oakland Museum of California

Gold Rush: Gold Fever! Prospecting

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource presents information about prospecting. You will learn about the history and see pictures on how it was done.
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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
Sacramento Bee

Gold Rush: On Your Mark, Get Set, Gold

For Students 9th - 10th
This CalGoldRush.com site is an article that discusses where people came from, as well as the number of people involved in the California gold rush. The article focuses on the massive migration to California.
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Unit Plan
Oakland Museum of California

Gold Rush: Stories of the Lure and Legacy

For Students 9th - 10th
Experience the Gold Rush through this multimedia presentation. See the art that reflects the environment, characters, and the role of women in the gold rush. Listen to an overview of the gold rush and its impact.
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Handout
Sacramento Bee

Gold Rush: Rivals in the Newspaper Field

For Students 9th - 10th
This article from the Sacramento Bee discusses the rise of journalism during the California gold rush. Many journalists left their jobs and headed west to cover this great event.
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Primary
Museum of the City of San Francisco

Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco: A Gold Rush Poem

For Students 9th - 10th
A poem written in England but certainly expressing the hopes and dreams of those seeking gold in California. Included in the San Francisco Business Directory of 1864-65.
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Primary
Museum of the City of San Francisco

Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco: The Miner's Song

For Students 9th - 10th
Published in "Hutching's California Magazine" in 1857 was a song expressing the hopes and dreams of those suffering from gold fever.
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Primary
Other

Ailello Studios: The Land of Glittering Dreams

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn some interesting facts about the California Gold Rush through images, personal stories and other writings.
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Primary
Museum of the City of San Francisco

Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco: Samuel Brannan's Bank

For Students 9th - 10th
This site contains a poster of a new bank started by Sam Brannen in San Francisco during the gold rush.
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Graphic
California Digital Library

Calisphere: Westward Expansion

For Students 9th - 10th
A broad selection of images featuring westward expansion in California can be found on this site by Calisphere. By clicking on individual images you'll find high quality photographs and image information.
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Unit Plan
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Freedom: A History of Us: Whose Land Is This? Webisode 8

For Students 9th - 10th
From Joy Hakim's marvelous set of books, A History of US, this webisode offers narrative, pictures, and teaching guides for the settling of the West after the Civil War.
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Article
WebMD

Web Md: Airborne Allergens

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from WebMD Health provides an article entitled, "Something in the Air: Airborne Allergens". Includes detailed information on why some people are allergic to certain substances, while others are not. Symptoms of airborne...
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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 students explore the following question: "What motivated thousands of people to journey west during the 1800s?"
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Primary
Museum of the City of San Francisco

Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco: The Miners' Ten Commandments

For Students 9th - 10th
Written by James Hutchings in 1853, the ten commandments of miners show the life of the miner.
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Handout
Other

American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource describes an organization that is involved in studies and treatments of allergies. Research and education are also important parts of this organization.