It's 1849 and the California gold rush has swept the country, and the
world. You dream of a better life, which you think you can get quickly if
you find gold. People are getting rich from the gold they are finding in
the American River. You want to be a part of this -- and so do 50,000
others from all over the world! In just 7 years, California's population
rose from 800 to 55,000 people, all because of the GOLD RUSH. Only 1 in
every thousand prospectors actually became rich during the California gold
rush -- will you be one of the few?
Use the resources below to research your journey and your experiences in
California. Things you might want to consider in your research are:
1. What were your reasons for heading West?
2. What items and supplies did you take with you?
3. What mode of transportation did you use?
4. What route did you follow and why?
5. What obstacles and hardships did you face along the way?
6. How did you deal with the Native people?
7. What did you find when you got there?
8. What tools did you use to mine or pan for gold?
Internet Links
Internet links to Web sites on the California Gold Rush
http://www.pbs.org/goldrush/index.html
http://www.museumca.org/goldrush/
http://www.isu.edu/~trinmich/allabout.html
http://www.ncgold.com/goldrushtown/
http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist2/gold.html
http://www.calgoldrush.com/
http://pbskids.org/wayback/goldrush/
http://www.huntington.org/Education/GoldRush/Entrance/index.htm
http://claim.goldrush.com/~joann/
Other Resources
Just because this is a Web Quest doesn't mean that you are limited to
using the web for resources. Here are some books and other research
materials you will find in the school library:
973.5 ISA
America in the time of Lewis and Clark, 1801 to 1850 / Isaacs, Sally Senzell.
978 WIL
American West / Williams, Lucy.
979.4 BLU
The great American gold rush / Blumberg, Rhoda.
979.4 KET
The gold rush / Ketchum, Liza.
979.4 LAK
Gold fever / Lake, A. I.,
979.4 MON
The California Gold Rush : Monroe, Judy.
979.4 RAU
The Wells Fargo book of the gold rush / Rau, Margaret.
979.4 STA
Digger : Stanley, Jerry,