Golden Dreams
True Stories of Adventure in the California Gold Rush
by
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When gold was found in Northern California, news of it spread like a wildfire during the spring and summer of 1848. To most hard-headed people it didn’t seem possible. Wasn’t this too good to be true? And yet, as weeks and months flew by, more reports were printed confirming there actually was gold and some were getting rich. In fact, the golden dreams seized the minds and imaginations of tens of thousands of people worldwide. There were no restrictions to making the journey to California’s hilly gold fields. Anyone could come. It made no difference what faith one practiced or what color of skin one happened to bear. of tens of thousands of people worldwide. There were no restrictions to making the journey to California’s hilly gold fields. Anyone could come. It made no difference what faith one practiced or what color of skin on
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About the Book
When gold was found in Northern California, news of it spread like a wildfire during the spring and summer of 1848. At first, most people thought the reports were too good to be true, but as weeks and months flew by, they heard about more people striking it rich – and imaginations started to run wild. Tens of thousands of people started to dream about gold, and some of them left everything they knew to make the journey to California. It didn’t matter if you were black, white or brown – anyone could go. Even people in Central and South America, Australia, China, and Western Europe heard about the gold and made the journey. By 1855, hundreds of thousands of people had converged on California. In this study, the author shares diary entries from gold seekers, painting a detailed portrait of the frenzy that overtook the world, the lives of the miners, and how the move West changed the fabric of a nation. Without the dreams, hard work, and dedication of the miners who moved West, the United States of America would not be what it is today.
About the Author
Frank BAUMGARDNER has been fascinated with the California Gold Rush and the expansion West ever since learning about it in the fourth grade. He explores why people moved thousands of miles to an unknown place in Golden Dreams.