Today in History: Gold Discovered in California-Primary Source Nexus

Today in History–January 24–the Library of Congress features gold, discovered in California on this day in 1848. The discovery was first met with skepticism and the California gold rush did not begin in full until after an endorsement from President James Polk in December, 1848. Learn more by visiting the Today in History section, then click the links below to discover gold-related primary sources and other resources from across the Library.

Teaching resources

Guided Primary Source Analysis: The Way They Go to California
Journeys West lesson plan
From Picks to Posts: Satire in the Gold Rush and the Influencer Boom inquiry starter set

Primary source sets

Gold rush primary source set
Gold mining images
Gold rush first-person narratives
Selected California gold rush images
More gold rush images
Gold rush films
Six months in the gold mines: 1847-8-9 by E. Gould Buffum
Adventures in the Path of Empire Volume I, Chapter IX: The Diggings on Mokelumne River by Bayard Taylor
Personal Adventures in Upper and Lower California, in 1848-9 (Volume II, Chapters XVII-XVIII) by William Redmond Ryan
The gold seekers. A tale of California. (fiction)
California gold: historical newspaper articles & ads 1849-1900

Library blog posts

The Rush for Gold Picture This
African Americans and the Gold Rush Inside Adams
Chinese Americans and the Gold Rush Inside Adams
Race for the Gold: Map Games of the Klondike Gold Rush Worlds Revealed: Geography & Maps

Gold resources

Gold sheet music
Contemporary U.S. legislation related to gold
Alaska Gold Rush & Transformation (secondary source, in English & Russian)
Yukon Gold Rush (secondary source, in English & Russian)
Klondike: The Chicago Record’s Book for Gold Seekers

Stories from America’s Library

Related resource

State Spotlight: California primary source collections & teaching resources