Many books have been written about the California Gold Rush, but a geographical-historical dictionary has long been lacking. With the publication of California Gold Camps, a monumental project has been completed. California Gold Camps is a basic reference that will be indispensable to the historian, the geographer, and to the general reader interested in California's colorful past.

Historical insight is the alchemy that transforms the familiar story of the Gold Rush into something sparkling and new. The world of the Gold Rush that comes down to us through fiction and film--of unshaven men named Stumpy and Kentuck raising hell and panning for gold--is one of half-truths. In this brilliant work of social history, Susan Johnson enters the well-worked diggings of Gold Rush history and strikes a rich lode. She finds a dynamic social world in which the conventions of identity--ethnic, national, and sexual--were reshaped in surprising ways. She gives us the all-male households of the diggings, the mines where the men worked, and the fandango houses where they played. With a keen eye for character and story, Johnson restores the particular social world that issued in the Gold Rush myths we still cherish.

Learn how prospectors mined for gold, what life was like in mining camps, and much more. In 1848, gold was discovered in a California river, kicking off a period of time when thousands of people traveled to the West Coast with dreams of getting rich. Readers (Ages 7-9) will get an up-close look at life during the California Gold Rush as they follow the adventures of Louise and Feng, two kids living in a mining camp near San Francisco.

Many books have been written about the California Gold Rush, but a geographical-historical dictionary has long been lacking. With the publication of California Gold Camps, a monumental project has been completed. California Gold Camps is a basic reference that will be indispensable to the historian, the geographer, and to the general reader interested in California's colorful past.

Experience the adventure, romance, and history of people who struggled to realize their share of the American dream of finding gold in California. This 9" x 12" book is overflowing with beautiful photos and entertaining history.

The California Gold Rush is thought to exemplify the Wild West, yet miners were expert organizers. Driven by property interests, they enacted mining codes, held criminal trials, and decided claim disputes. But democracy and law did not extend to “foreigners” and Indians, and miners were hesitant to yield power to the state that formed around them.

The saga of the early prospectors and all the others who made their mark during the Gold Rush. This historical visitor's guide includes recommended routes along Highway 49, dubbed the Mother Lode Highway, and many historical and full-color photos.