Picture This:
California Perspectives on American History

Gold Rush: 1848–1860

View a Timeline of Events for this period.

"The World Rushed In"read more »view slideshow »

  • Untitled #
  • A Mexican miner working with a mule. #
  • Chinois lavant les sables auriferes du rocker #
  • Native American young person #
  • Men busy mining #
  • Grand Patent India-Rubber Air Line Railway to California #
  • Untitled (Portrait of a Chinese Man) #

Mining Techniquesread more »view slideshow »

  • Hydraulic mine in operation #
  • Group of miners at work #
  • Lavage par la methode hydralique #
  • Man panning for gold #
  • Uncle Bill and Others at Mining, Placerville, California #
  • Untitled #
  • Gold Mining in California #
  • "#554 Hydrolic Gold Mining - Gold Fields" #
  • Untitled (Hydraulic Mining, Placerville, California) #
  • Entrances to two mine shafts; man with shovel standing at one of the entrances #
  • Miner using hydraulic hose to clear land while mining for gold #
  • "California Gold Diggers - A Scene From Actual Life At The Mines" #

"I Saw the Elephant"read more »view slideshow »

  • Murphy’s Camp #
  • Mountain Jack and a Wandering Miner #
  • Justice Meted Out to “English Jim” by the Vigilantes, San Francisco Harbor #
  • Untitled (Portrait of a Spanish Woman) #
  • A Miner in his Cabin #
  • Untitled (Miner with Shovel) #
  • Eliza Jane Steen-Johnson #
  • Untitled (California mining scene) #
  • California Gold Miner with Pack Horse #
  • Portrait of Eliza Jane Steen Johnson #
  • The Lone Prospector #
  • Sarah Anne MacDougal with Elizabeth #
  • Untitled (Sharpshooters of the 1856 Committee of Vigilance) #
  • Norton I #
  • The Cliff House #
  • San Francisco in 1850 (Niantic Hotel) #

Browse By Timeline

  • Early California: pre-1769–1840s
  • Gold Rush: 1848–1860
  • Early Statehood: 1850 – 1880s
  • Progressive Era: 1890–1920s
  • Depression Era: 1930s
  • World War II Homefront Era: 1940s
  • Homogenization, Protests & Outright Rebellion: 1950s
  • Unforgettable Change: 1960s
  • Cultural Realignment & Economic Recession: 1970s
  • The Reagan Years: 1980s
  • 1990s to Present

Also, browse by Theme or by Most Useful

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