Other
The Gold Rush: The Journey
Read about the routes followed by those seeking the riches of California. Find out the advantages and hazards of each route.
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.
Digital History
Digital History: The Gold Rush
See how the discovery of gold changed California and introduced lawlessness, violence, and vigilantism.
Other
Gold Rush Players: Johann Augustus Sutter
Chronicles the life of John Sutter who immigrated to America to find his fortune and then saw it crumble away after the discovery of gold at his mill.
Other
Gold Rush Players: James Wilson Marshall
This article provides a brief overview of the life of James Marshall, who discovered gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848.
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.
Other
California Gold Country: James W. Marshall's Account of First Discovery of Gold
James W. Marshall's own words about discovering gold at Sutter's Mill in California in 1848.
PBS
New Perspectives on the West: James Wilson Marshall (1810 1885)
A brief biography of James Marshall who discovered gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848, which led to the California Gold Rush.
Sacramento Bee
The Sacramento Bee: Timeline of John Sutter
John Sutter was the unwitting lynchpin in the California Gold Rush. Read the time line of events that show how he suffered for that discovery.
Other
Ailello Studios: The Land of Glittering Dreams
Learn some interesting facts about the California Gold Rush through images, personal stories and other writings.
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.
Schools of California Online Resources for Education
Score: Gold Mountain Webquest
At this site from the Schools of California Online Resources for Education, students will travel back in time as Chinese Immigrants in this detailed WebQuest. By using the resources and links given, students will file a job profile,...
Museum of the City of San Francisco
Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco: Sherman and the Discovery of Gold
An account by William Tecumseh Sherman about the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill.
University of California
History Project: Debate Over the California Constitutional Convention, 1878 1879
Lesson on immigration, conflict and nativism in which young scholars examine primary source documents to evaluate public policy and attitudes towards Chinese immigrants in California, 1878-1879.
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.
PBS
New Perspectives on the West: John Augustus Sutter (1803 1880)
Biography of John Sutter, a Swiss settler who helped to develop Californian and saw his fortunes dwindle after the California Gold Rush.
Other
Yuba City: John Augustus Sutter
This article traces the career of the Swiss American pioneer, John Sutter. The discovery of gold in 1848 at his lumber mill led to the California Gold Rush.
Museum of the City of San Francisco
Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco: A Gold Rush Poem
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.
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.
Oakland Museum of California
Gold Rush: Indian Gold Washing
This resource contains information and a picture about Indian prospectors. It also contains an audio clip.
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...
Other
Gold Rush Players: Joaquin Murieta
Information about the notorious Joaquin Murieta, Mexican miner who became a legend after a book was written about him in 1854.
Curated OER
National Park Service: California National Historic Trail
This site from the National Parks Service gives a brief history, and description of the California trail system which was used by settlers moving to California during the 1849 Gold Rush days.