Website
Library of Congress

Loc: Early California History: An Overview

For Students 9th - 10th
Table of Contents of an easy-to-understand history of California ranging from the first peoples to the turn of the century and covers the topics of the Missions, the discovery of gold, the towns and the cities.
Article
Other

San Diego History Center: Before the War: The Japanese in San Diego

For Students 9th - 10th
A good article that describes the struggles Japanese Americans experienced while trying to make a living as fishermen in southern California. The articles focuses on the story of Abe Tokunoske and how his success in the fishing industry...
Primary
Calisphere: University of California Libraries

University of California: Calisphere: Gold Rush Era: Everyday Life and People

For Students 9th - 10th
A collection of primary source photos from 19th-century California which portray what everyday life was like during the California Gold Rush.
Unit Plan
Other

California State Parks: Paleontology

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
The California State Parks present an excellent unit to local geology of Borrego Badlands to Salton Trough. Through lessons plans, power point presentations, and a videoconference students will take a closer look into fossils and the...
Primary
Calisphere: University of California Libraries

University of California: Calisphere: Gold Rush Era: Murder and Mayhem

For Students 9th - 10th
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.
Handout
Scholastic

Scholastic: Spanish Missions of California

For Students 9th - 10th
Students can use this page as a jumping off page to do research on Spanish missions in California. There are numerous links to Scholastic articles and to other websites on subtopics such as missionaries, Franciscans and places in...
Primary
Calisphere: University of California Libraries

University of California: Calisphere: Californio Society, 1830s 1880s

For Students 9th - 10th
Collection of photos and drawings depicting early California elite and maps of land use from which students can learn about the transformation of the California economy and its political and cultural development in the 1800s.
Lesson Plan
Huntington Library

Huntington Library: Coming to California [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
In this lesson, 4th graders examine entries from Juan Bautista de Anza's diary and other documents to understand the experiences and obstacles he and his companions faced as they traveled from Arizona to California in 1774. Student...
Primary
Calisphere: University of California Libraries

University of California: Calisphere: Gold Rush Era, 1848 1865: Growth of Cities

For Students 9th - 10th
Primary source images depicting the rapid growth of small settlements into big cities as people continued to come to California from all over the world during the Gold Rush.
Website
Other

California Museum

For Students Pre-K - 1st
The California Museum tells the history of California through the stories of the men and women and the events that have shaped and that are continuing to shape its history.
Website
Other

California Museum

For Students 9th - 10th
The California Museum tells the history of California through the stories of the men and women and the events that have shaped and that are continuing to shape its history.
Primary
Museum of the City of San Francisco

Virtual Museum of San Francisco: William T. Sherman and Early California History

For Students 9th - 10th
From the memoirs of William Tecumseh Sherman you can read about his arrival in California during the Mexican War, his dealings with John Fremont, and the Bear Flag Revolt.
Article
Henry J. Sage

Sage American History: California and the Gold Rush

For Students 9th - 10th
Article by Henry Sage explaining the history of California, how it became a state, and how President Polks desire to acquire California contributed to the Mexican-American War.
Website
A&E Television

History.com: The States

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn unique facts about each American state. You can also read a more in-depth history of each state, watch videos and play a game about all the states.
Handout
Other

California State Railroad Museum: The Transcontinental Railroad

For Students 9th - 10th
A brief history of the first transcontinental railroad and the vision of Theodore Judah as well as the financing of the "Big Four."
Handout
California Digital Library

Loc: The Chinese in California 1850 1925

For Students 9th - 10th
Excellent overview of the Chinese experience in California complete with historical photos and primary documents. Site provides information on San Francisco's Chinatown, the anti-Chinese Movement, and Chinese laborers.
Website
University of California

The Bancroft Library: Italian Americans in California

For Students 9th - 10th
An introduction to the history and culture of Italian immigrants and their descendants in California from 1687 to the present. Shows how the people, industries, and neighborhoods of an area change over time. Includes a virtual exhibit...
Website
Other

University of California Museum of Paleontology: Paleontology Portal

For Students 9th - 10th
Portal of the University of California Museum of Paleontology provides access to the museum's extensive research resources and fossil holdings. Includes career preparation advice for future paleontologists and a series of links to...
Website
University of California

University of California: Robert B. Honeyman Jr. Collection

For Students 9th - 10th
This collection at the University of California-Berkeley can now be accessed online through the Online Archive of California. It provides a vast collection of historically significant primary source images of early California and the...
Website
Other

Oregon California Trails Association: Historic Trails Learning Center

For Students 9th - 10th
Information portal for the organization that oversees the preservation of the Oregon Trail, the California Trail, the Santa Fe Trail, the Applegate Trail, and the Mormon Trail.
Website
Other

California State Historical Landmarks

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a fun way to work your way through the history of California -- visit Historical Landmarks. Remember, the plaques you see on the side of the road? Here are 1011 of them organized by county and number.
Website
Other

California Missions Resource Center

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Peruse this thorough resource featuring historical California missions stretching from San Diego to San Francisco as the Spanish established themselves on the west coast of North America between 1768-1853. Read stories of the early...
Interactive
Other

Object of History: The Gold Nugget

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

Huntington Library: Land of Golden Dreams: California in the Gold Rush

For Students 9th - 10th
A rich site on the California gold rush, 1848-1858. An online exhibit traces the gold rush using primary sources, a teacher page gives lesson plans from 4-12 and a kid's page offers further online adventures. Takes a long time to load.

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