Original photos and images highlighting the impact that the Transcontinental Railroad had on the lives and perspectives of Americans and Native Americans.

A collection of primary source photos from 19th-century California which portray what everyday life was like during the California Gold Rush.

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.

The Library of Congress makes available these eyewitness accounts of California's history from 1849 to 1900.

Find background information about the life of Father Junipero Serra and his biographer, Father Francisco Palou. Read about the missions they established in California and their work in converting Native Americans to Christianity. Click...

A history of five tribes in the California Native American culture area.

A brief overview of the California Indian cultures from the northwestern part of the State: Tolowa, Yurok, Hupa, and Karuk.

Read a history of the Chumash Indians and learn about their way of life before contact with the Spanish. Find out about their large domed houses, plank canoes, and impressive cave paintings.

Have you ever read any of Richard Wright's work? This site offers an extensive crosscurricular Teacher's Guide that includes questions for research and writing.

This site provides a virtual tour of the mining of silver and gold in California through excellent photos and facts.

Get the basic history of the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians.

The National Park Services provides an enlightening overview of the history and culture of the Coast Miwok tribe at Point Reyes, California.

This is a rather lengthy discourse on the Hupa tribe, and worth reading for all the interesting facts on their culture, location, housing, food, method of hunting, and clothing.

The students will learn about the origins and the culture of the Achumawi people in northeast California.

Provides an overview of the history and the traditional culture and religion of the Wintun tribe.

Embrace the history and culture of the Mariposa Indian tribe, also known as the Yokuts primarily of San Joaquin Valley, California.

This CalGoldRush site discussses the triumphs and hardships of Indians during the California gold rush. Some became rich, but many were sold into slavery.