Land of Golden Dreams
http://www.huntington.org/Education/GoldRush/Entrance/index.htm
“The discovery of gold in California in 1848 changed the world – find out how and why! This Web presentation of the Huntington Library’s remarkable collection of Gold Rush manuscripts, drawing, and rare printed materials brings this unique event to life”
The Land of Golden Dreams exhibition ended in 2000 but thanks to a grant from the California State Library, it has been made available as an excellent web exhibit. The presentation progresses chronologically through the Gold Rush using images, documents, and background information to tell the story. Along with this exhibit there are two sets of lesson plans. The 7-12 grade level set includes eight lessons that cover topics like Manifest Destiny, routes to California, mining, gold Rush towns, racial diversity and others. The lesson plans include between ten to twenty primary sources (documents, pictures, illustrations) and document analysis sheets that help the students understand and form their own opinions of the sources. Between the online exhibit and these lesson plans, the Huntington Library lives up to its prestigious reputation. (BR)