[beansricerevolt]

DD has become interested in the CA gold rush.know any good resources? We are going to the library tomorrow but our library sucks! I just did a search online and they barely have books on this subject. So it looks like most of our research will probably come from the internet.

 

[Lillian J]

There's a funny but quite informative book called By the Great Hornspoon. It's fascinating to look up some of the things from it in the encyclopedia as you go along - like the the various types of ships, the doldrums, the various ship routes, the history of the Panama Canal, the whole geography involved... One thing leads to another, and it can get pretty interesting as you see how so many things were affected by (and affected) the gold rush.

Lillian

 

[LilyGrace]

How old is your DD? The Dear America/My America series has a diary of a chinese immigrant boy that is very informative on about a 5th grade level - The Journal of Wong Ming-Chung.

If you're in California, the town of Columbia is preserved as a gold rush town.

The Oregon Trail game might help your dd realize some of the trials families went through to get to the west coast.

Um.....I'm a little stumped. I grew up in CA so we had plenty of resources to learn all this. Right now, I'm in Lewis and Clark territory, and other U.S. history is awfully neglected here.

 

[Lillian J]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LilyGrace The Oregon Trail game might help your dd realize some of the trials families went through to get to the west coast.

Yes! I meant to mention that too - a fabulous resource for this.

Lillian

 

[moominmamma]

Karen Cushmans' "The Ballad of Lucy Whipple" is excellent. It's the story of a family uprooted to spend six years in California during the Gold Rush. The homesickness and social ills of the time are poignantly portrayed. Very well written.

Miranda

 

[MyLittleWonders]

I will second By The Great Horned Spoon - it is a great book.

Otherwise,

: on the other suggestions. In my previous life when I taught 4th grade, I loved that social studies was California history.

 

[beansricerevolt]

Thanks everyone

DD is 9 and we live in the midwest.