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.
Ducksters
Ducksters: California State History for Kids
Did you know California's history included early explorers, Native Americans, the Gold Rush, and the Bear Republic? Learn about the history and timeline of the state of California on this site.
Curated OER
Object of History: Chinese Miners (Chinese Immigration During the Gold Rush)
An image is provided of "Gan Saam Meets El Dorado," which depicts the Chinese miners in California during the 1850s in search of gold.
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
Museum of the City of San Francisco
Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco: Samuel Brannan's Bank
This site contains a poster of a new bank started by Sam Brannen in San Francisco during the gold rush.
Sacramento Bee
The Sacramento Bee: Polk Is Caught in the Rush
This site discusses James K. Polk's place in the gold rush of California in the 1840's.
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...
Museum of the City of San Francisco
Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco: The Diary of Johann August Sutter
In an book by Douglas S. Watson published in 1932, you can read the introduction which tells about the life of Johann August Sutter, who emigrated to California, built a mill where gold was found, and suffered for that discovery....
Read Works
Read Works: Panning for History
[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.
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
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.
Curated OER
Black Miner
This CalGoldRush.com site discusses the triumphs African American's had during the California gold rush. Many blacks were able to purchase their freedom and the freedom of their families back home.
Library of Congress
Loc: Teachers: Journeys West
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?"
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: America in Class: The Chinese Question From a Chinese Standpoint, 1873
Lesson on how the Chinese in California confronted anti-Chinese sentiment and discrimination in the late 1800s. Comprehensive lesson with primary source materials.
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
Wikipedia: National Historic Landmarks in California: Coloma
Town where the California Gold Rush when James W. Marshall discovered gold at Sutter's mill on January 24, 1848. Now a ghost town, it is a significant part of the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park.
Curated OER
Wikipedia: National Historic Landmarks in California: Columbia Historic District
Within two years of discovering gold in this town, it was the 3rd largest city in California. The historic district is now an open museum and the best preserved California Gold Rush town.
Curated OER
Wikipedia: National Historic Landmarks in California: Sutter's Fort
A 19th century agricultural and trade colony, it was known for its connection to the Donner Party, the California Gold Rush, and the formation of Sacramento as well as its proximity to the California Trail and Siskiyou Trails. Now a...
Curated OER
Wikipedia: National Historic Landmarks in California: Old United States Mint
Built for the San Francisco Mint in 1874 to handle the overflow from the California Gold Rush, this building is affectionately as The Granite Lady. It is one of the few that survivors of the great 1906 San Francisco earthquake and served...
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: America's History in the Making: Contested Territories
This site highlights the westward expansion of settlers in North America and the effects this expansion had on Native Americans between the Revolutionary and Civil Wars.
PBS
Pbs: New Perspectives on the West
This in-depth resource presents a history of the American West from pre-Columbian times until World War I with profiles, documents, and images. It encourages visitors to link these into patterns of historical meaning for themselves....
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.
Museum of the City of San Francisco
Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco: The Miner's Song
Published in "Hutching's California Magazine" in 1857 was a song expressing the hopes and dreams of those suffering from gold fever.
Museum of the City of San Francisco
Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco: Johann Augustus Sutter
This page contains a brief biography of gold rusher, John Sutter, from the book "Life in California before the Gold Discovery" by John Bidwell.