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

A collection of primary source materials that highlight the risks of natural disasters associated with the California Gold Rush as people rushed in to seek their fortunes.

This CalGoldRush.com site contains an article on the effects that the California gold rush has on California's tourism. Many people still come from far lands to get a glimpse of what is was like to be a gold miner.

The physical characteristics, history, and mining of gold in California are examined in this thorough site.

After reading this section of a chapter on "Westward Expansion," students will be able to identify the causes of the Mexican-American War and describe the outcomes of the war in 1848 and the effect of the California Gold Rush on westward...

Original photographs depicting scenes from California during the Gold Rush. Illustrations of mines, miners at work, and the tools they used as well as the effect of the mining industry on California's landscape.

A collection of primary source materials and informational text that looks at law and order in the "wild west" of California, identifying changing ethnicity in a growing population seeking gold and other resources.

Explore original images depicting scenes of ethnic diversity in California during the Gold Rush years.

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.

This CalGoldRush.com site discusses the role of the Chinese immigrants during the gold rush in California and the mark they made on history.

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

This site contains information on the dramatic impact of the California Gold Rush. From "The History of California," published in 1897.

Provides information concerning African American rights in the California gold country before the Civil War.

This CalGoldRush.com site discusses the role of the women during the gold rush in California. They served in a variety of roles and many made more than miners. This page tells their stories.

Lesson on immigration, conflict and nativism in which students examine primary source documents to evaluate public policy and attitudes towards Chinese immigrants in California, 1878-1879.

Contains an article on the discovery of gold in California at Sutter's Mill that resulted in the California Gold Rush.

This resource contains information on the development of culture in California during the gold rush. Culture developed in spite of the harsh conditions and tough people.

Contains plans for six lessons that ask students to research the Gold Rush before teaching each other about it. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains links to sites used in the lessons as well as...

At this comprehensive site, students learn about the first cross-country mail courier service in the United States, the Pony Express.

Primary source images that highlight Chinese immigrants to California, the perceptions held about them and the sentiment leading to the Chinese Exclusion Act.

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.

Text of the short story "The Outcasts of Poker Flat" by Bret Harte, an American author who often wrote about the California Gold Rush. (Free site registration offers some additional features, e.g., the ability to insert annotations.)

An account by William Tecumseh Sherman about the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill.

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....