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California Gold Rush
An excerpt from A trip across the plains, and life in California by George Keller, 1851.

An excerpt from A trip across the plains, and life in California by George Keller, 1851.

In this book, Ohio native George Keller documents his experiences during his travels to California via an overland route across the western United States. He records major stops and landmarks along the route, observations about the scenery and landscape and his group’s encounters with Native Americans, as well as notes on the mining experience in California and gold extraction techniques. Chapter 1 documents how Keller decided to embark on this journey to California for gold and the first stages of his travels. In the final pages of his book, Keller provides a “Guide to California by the Overland Route” for future emigrants. In this section, he helpfully details the supplies required for the journey as well as step by step directions from St. Joseph, Missouri to California.

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Citation Information
Keller, George, excerpt from “A trip across the plains, and life in California,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/04c84fc39fea8519e11dbcc80a830937.
Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.
Courtesy of University of Utah - J. Willard Marriott Library via Mountain West Digital Library.

Tips for Students

For this source, consider:

  • the author's point of view
  • the author's purpose
  • historical context
  • audience

Item 3 of 15 in the Primary Source Set California Gold Rush

Previous ItemNext Item
A map showing the gold mining region of California and routes for traveling there, 1849.
A print depicting a long line of men, women, and families waiting to depart for the gold regions of California, 1848.
An excerpt from A trip across the plains, and life in California by George Keller, 1851.
A letter from gold prospector Newton Chandler to his wife Jane after arriving in San Francisco, January 15, 1855.
A painting of California gold miners around a campfire, ca. 1850.
A portrait of surveyor Alonzo Doolittle posing with a bag of gold, ca. 1850.
A photograph of African American and white gold prospectors working together at Spanish Flat, California, 1852.
A photograph of a group of white and Chinese miners at a sluice box in Auburn Ravine, 1852.
A letter from Thornton McElroy to his wife Sarah about his gold mining experience since arriving in California, June 19, 1850.
An excerpt of a letter from Augustin Hibbard to his brother William about his early days in California and gold mining experience, September 4, 1850.
A map of the gold mining districts of California showing mining locations and Native American villages, 1850.
A print depicting a road scene in Gold Rush California, with Native Americans, Chinese immigrants, settlers, and gold prospectors, 1856.
A print of a bird’s eye view of the town of Columbia, California surrounded by images of the town’s major buildings, 1855.
An excerpt from Eldorado: or, Adventures in the Path of Empire by Bayard Taylor, originally published in 1850.
A satirical print depicting a ship departing with gold prospectors from California, 1849.

These sets were created and reviewed by teachers. Explore resources and ideas for Using DPLA's Primary Source Sets in your classroom.

To give feedback, contact us at info@dp.la. You can also view resources for National History Day.

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