Oakland Museum of California
Gold Rush: Law, Order and Justice for Some Discrimination
This resource presents information about the culturally diverse mining towns in California during the time of the gold rush and the treatment of minorities.
Sacramento Bee
Gold Rush: Religion Reclaimed Souls
This article, entitled "Religion Reclaimed Souls as Mining Expanded," contains information on the developement of religion in California during the gold rush.
Other
The Gold Rush: Fever
This resource provides information about the Gold Rush, and fever that took place during westward expansion.
Other
The Gold Rush: San Francisco
This page discusses how the gold rush led to the massive growth of San Francisco.
Oakland Museum of California
Gold Rush: Prospecting: Chinese Placer Mining
This resource presents information about Chinese miners in California and the prejudice they suffered.
Other
The Gold Rush: Changes
Read about the environmental impact the changing technology of gold mining inflicted on California and the economic impact on the miners.
Other
The Gold Rush: Despair
This page discusses what happened to many of the gold miners when the gold ran out in California.
Museum of the City of San Francisco
Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco: Ulysses S. Grant and the Gold Rush
From Ulysses S. Grant's memoirs is this description of his 1852 trip to California across Panama and his stay in San Francisco.
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...
Harp Week
Harp Week: Mining Life in California
Illustrated article from Harper's Weekly, October 3, 1857, page 632, focusing on Chinese workers and their life in California mining camps.
Oakland Museum of California
California's Untold Stories: Silver and Gold
This site provides a virtual tour of the mining of silver and gold in California through excellent photos and facts.
Oakland Museum of California
Gold Rush: Entertainment
Many individuals made money during the gold rush without finding any gold. This resource dicusses how many actors and musicians made money entertaining lonely miners. There is also an audio version.
State Library of North Carolina
N Cpedia: Gold Mining in the Uwharries
In the early decades of the 1800s, the southern Piedmont's gold mines attracted prospectors, investors, and miners. Tar Heel gold had first been found in 1799 on John Reed's farm in Cabarrus County, several miles west of the Uwharrie...
Sacramento Bee
Gold Rush: Streams Poisoned by Mercury
This CalGoldRush site discusses the damage mercury used in gold mining has done to California's environment
Oakland Museum of California
Gold Rush: Gold Fever! Prospecting
This resource presents information about prospecting. You will learn about the history and see pictures on how it was done.
Oakland Museum of California
Giant Gold Machines Hard Rock Mining
This page gives a brief explanation of extracting hard rock quartz. This was a labor intensive process that was often dangerous, but necessary to find gold.
Oakland Museum of California
Giant Gold Machines Gold Dredges
This page gives a brief explanation of extracting minerals by the use of gold dredges. This was a process that sped up the process of finding gold.
Oakland Museum of California
Gold Rush: Miners and Sluice Boxes
This resource provides a picture and short description of the miners' use of the sluice box.
Curated OER
Hydraulic Mining
Provides pictures and information about hydraulic mining (using jets of water to break down gold-laden gravel banks) for gold.
Curated OER
Hydraulic mining.jpg, 0 Bytes
Provides pictures and information about hydraulic mining (using jets of water to break down gold-laden gravel banks) for gold.
Curated OER
Hart Stereoview #61, Hydraulic Mining
Provides pictures and information about hydraulic mining (using jets of water to break down gold-laden gravel banks) for gold.
Sacramento Bee
The Sacramento Bee: Merchant Digs More Than Gold
This short article discusses Heinrich Schliemann's gold mining experience, including the death of his brother, before discovering the lost city of Troy during his archeological period.