Unit Plan
Oakland Museum of California

Gold Rush: Stories of the Lure and Legacy

For Students 9th - 10th
Experience the Gold Rush through this multimedia presentation. See the art that reflects the environment, characters, and the role of women in the gold rush. Listen to an overview of the gold rush and its impact.
Website
Oakland Museum of California

Oakland Museum of California: Gold Rush! California's Untold Stories

For Students 9th - 10th
View a virtual tour of a real exhibition at the Oakland Museum of California that commemorates the 150th anniversary of the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill on January 24, 1848, and the frenzied rush to California of gold seekers from...
Interactive
Other

Object of History: The Gold Nugget

For Students 9th - 10th
Audio-pictorial overview of the story of the California gold rush.
Website
Oakland Museum of California

California's Untold Stories: Natives and Immigrants

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides a tour through the history of natives and immigrants to the California Gold Rush area, including African American, California Indian, Chinese, and Latino.
Primary
Oakland Museum of California

California's Untold Stories: Art of the Gold Rush

For Students 9th - 10th
The Oakland Museum presents an exhibit of art that show the miners, mining towns, new cities, and people of the Gold Rush. Be sure to read the overview of the exhibit to get the historical background.
Primary
Other

Ailello Studios: The Land of Glittering Dreams

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn some interesting facts about the California Gold Rush through images, personal stories and other writings.
Website
Library of Congress

Loc: America's Story: Westward Expansion and Reform

For Students 3rd - 8th
Part of a longer time line describing the history of the American West, this section covers the period 1829 to 1859 with hyperlinks to stories and people of this time period.
Graphic
Curated OER

Chinese Laborers Build Central Pacific Railroad Trestle in the Sierra

For Students 9th - 10th
Published in 1924, the book, "The Story of California from the Earliest Days to the Present," by Henry K. Norton, relates the lives of the Chinese who immigrated to California to participate in the gold rush. He also recounts the...