There's In Them Hills - Gold Rush, miner, boomtown, There's Gold In Them Hills , miner, boomtown, ghost town The West, early to mid 1800's Unit

This article is brought to you by the years 1848 to 1855.

Dear Sam,

I don't trust anybody. That's why I am writing to you. I want you to know everything that happens in case I make it rich and someone knocks me over the head and steals my gold. These letters will let you know exactly where I've been and what I've found along the way. If some no-good backstabber comes along and steals my gold, you will know the truth. I hope I live long enough to spend the gold I find. But if I don't, then I want you to have it. Spend it on something nice, will ya? Like that banjo you always wanted.

I am sure you have heard the news. It's been spreading pretty quickly. Everyone is heading to California and I am too! The California Gold Rush is when thousands of people went to California in the 1800s in search of gold that had been found there. You know, at first I didn't believe the stories. But when my old neighbor Bill brought home a gold nugget the size of his tooth, I knew all the stories must be true. This is my chance to make myself, and our whole family, rich! I only hope I am not too late.

It doesn't take much to hunt for gold. It's bright and shiny and you only need a couple of tools to get it out of the ground. The moment the tip of my shovel hits the ground, I will be a miner. A miner is a person who takes minerals like coal or gold from the earth. Of course, there are a few other tools I have picked up along the way. I bought a pick in case the gold is stuck in a rock and needs to be broken free. I also got a gold pan that lets me sift through the silt at the bottom of the river to see if I can see any shiny specks.

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And finally, I've got my two fists just in case someone tries to take my gold.

You don't have to worry about me. I am not sleeping out under the stars surrounded by a bunch of wild animals or anything. I'm staying in one of the boomtowns here. Boomtowns are towns that spring up quickly because of an area's sudden success. Where there used to only be empty land, there are now towns, as all the miners have come looking for somewhere to live. There are thousands of people out here. More people seem to be coming every day! But everything is good. I have got a nice bed to sleep in. I've got plenty of food to eat. What was once a dusty little field is now a whole town with places to eat, sleep, and have a little fun. I heard some of these towns are doing so well that people may just move out here for good. They might just start a whole new life out here in California. Maybe I will too.

Not all of the towns are the doing well though. Some towns are near a river or hillside, places where people are likely to find gold. But if there's no gold to be found, the people disappear quickly! Ghost towns are towns where all or most of the people who lived there have left and the buildings are all empty. Here, there are lots of ghost towns, because miners move on quickly when there is no gold to be found. These places give me the creeps. Seeing all of those empty buildings and broken windows, they look kind of scary. If we don't find some gold here soon, this place will be a ghost town.

Now you know what it's like for me out here. Like so many others, I went to California during the great Gold Rush, just trying to find my fortune. I am not a miner yet, but I am ready to start digging and hope to make it rich. I'm sleeping in boomtowns; the towns that have been built for all of us that keep coming out west. If things go well, I may just stick around. I will not be going into any of the creepy ghost towns, those places that had gold but were left behind as soon as the gold ran out. I'll send you messages about the towns I visit and the people I meet along the way. Let's hope I find some gold soon!

Sincerely,

Amos

References:

History. "The Gold Rush of 1849."• history.com, 2010.

Eyewitness to History. "The California Gold Rush, 1849."• eyewitnesstohistory.com.

Over 500 more free History and Science articles are waiting to inspire your students at Rocketlit Page 3 There's Gold In Them Hills - California Gold Rush, miner, boomtown, ghost town

Harvard University. "California Gold Rush."• ocp.hul.harvard.edu

Over 500 more free History and Science articles are waiting to inspire your students at Rocketlit Page 4

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