When California laborer James Marshall found some gold nuggets while inspecting a sawmill he and his fellow workers had built, his discovery set in motion one of the greatest human migrations in American history, changing the face of the North Americans continent, and the course of world history. The year was 1848, and Marshall's discovery would set in motion the California Gold Rush, in which hundreds of thousands of people would flood into the western territory, searching for their fortune. Although few actual miners did get rich, some canny merchants - including Levi Strauss, who invented blue jeans - did succeed. More importantly, the Gold Rush greatly increased the pace of westward expansion of Americans, across the continent, and also brought the first significant wave of Chinese migration to the Americas...

Gold! Gold from the American River!: January 24, 1848: The Day the Gold Rush Began is the third book from author/illustrator Don Brown's Actual Times series that I have read, following upon his America Is Under Attack: September 11, 2001: The Day the Towers Fell and Let It Begin Here!: April 19, 1775: The Day the American Revolution Began. It is a series meant to highlight momentous days in history, days which altered the course of human events, and changed the world, and January 24th, 1848 certainly fits the bill. This slim volume - although a picture-book, it is a good sixty-four pages, and quite text-heavy - is quite informative, and gives an excellent introductory overview of its subject. Brown does not shy away from the less pleasant aspects of his story - the ecological havoc wreaked by so many people traveling long distances, the oppression brought to bear upon Chinese miners by their Euro-American counterparts, the slaughter of California's native populations - but he also captures the sense of excitement (almost mania) that the discovery of gold created. He makes use of primary sources, many from 49ers themselves, which he discusses in his afterword, and provides a list of sources as well. His accompanying illustrations are expressive, and well-matched with the text.

In short, this was another excellent entry in the Actual Times series, which currently stands at five volumes, but which I hope Brown will expand. Recommended to young history buffs, and to anyone looking for a children's introduction to the topic of the California Gold Rush of 1849. ( )

An appealing, informative introduction to the California Gold Rush ( )

Gold! Gold from the American River is a sweeping look at the California rush. Despite its thin spine, the book covers a wide range of topics.
The author, Don Brown, takes a very personal approach to the tale telling. He employees James Marshall's cry of "Gold!" and his subsequent death as bookends with which he props up the story of the gold rush. However, in between those bookends, is a wide variety of information intended to provide the reader with panoramic view of the lifestyle, hardships, politics, sucesses and failures of the adventurous souls traversing the wild west. Just a few of the areas skimmed are the dangers of transcontinental travel, business aspects of mining, geography, American Indians, Chinese immigrants, women's roles, those who profited and those whose tales were of tribulations and penniless deaths.
Brown narrates his text via third person, he includes many quotes, excerpts and other first-hand narratives, furthering his more individualized, realistic and relatable take on the past. In his source notes, he sites the library of congress as a major resource. He also includes several websites for further investigation. In the classroom, because of the breadth of the material covered, I would use this book to provide a general background intended to suggest possible areas of more in-depth study. ( )