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Primary Source Sets
California Gold Rush
A map of the gold mining districts of California showing mining locations and Native American villages, 1850.

A map of the gold mining districts of California showing mining locations and Native American villages, 1850.

In addition to information about towns, settlements, and gold mining camps, this map shows rivers and waterways in the region and uses hachures, or short parallel lines, to show areas of elevation. The terms used to describe places also provide clues as to the type of mining taking place there. “Bar” claims referred to places where gold could be found in shallow sand or gravel in riverbeds. “Dry Diggings” referred to ravines where gold could be mined from the ground during the summer but would be flooded, or “wet,” in the winter. Names associated with a location suggest the person or group who had staked a claim to that particular location and the gold that was discovered there.

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Citation Information
Jackson, William A., “Map of the mining district of California,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/9562a6a62c121e50eec67c89c0832f2f.
Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.
Courtesy of Boston Public Library via Digital Commonwealth.

Tips for Students

For this source, consider:

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

Item 11 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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