Gold Rush Collection (#13)

SAN FRANCISCO: POST OFFICE. Lithograph, c1849

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH. Panning Gold, California. Watercolor by William McIlvain, c1849-1856

GOLD RUSH: MINERS, c1850. Mountain Jack and a Wandering Miner. Oil on canvas by E. Hall Martin, c1850

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH, 1853. Washing Gold, Calaveras, California. Gouache painting by an unknown artist, 1853

GOLD RUSH CARTOON, 1849. The Way They Come From California. Cartoon satirizing the haste of prospectors to return home. Hand colored lithograph by Nathaniel Currier, 1849

CALIFORNIA GOLD MINER, 1853. William D. Peck, Rough and Ready, California. Watercolor by Henry Walton, 1853

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH. The Yankees House at Hang Town. The mining town of Hangtown (later Placerville), California. Lithograph, 1850s

GOLD RUSH GUIDEBOOK, 1849. Cover of a guide to the gold fields of California, printed at Boston, Massachusetts, in 1849

GOLD RUSH GUIDEBOOK, 1848. Cover of The Emigrants Guide to the Gold Mines, published in New York, 1848

CHINESE GOLD MINERS, c1850. Chinese immigrant miners during the California Gold Rush. Photographed c1850

GOLD RUSH CARTOON, 1849. The California Movement. A satirical English cartoon of 1849 showing steamboats on the Thames River bound for California

SUTTERs MILL GOLD, 1848. The first discovery of gold in California, by James Marshall at Sutters Mill, 24 January 1848. Illustration from History of an Expedition to California, 1849

GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA, 1849. Cover of Joseph E. Wares Emigrants Guide to California, published at St. Louis, Missouri, 1849

ALASKA: GOLD RUSH, c1898. A large group of gold prospectors and packers on Dyea Trail, Alaska. Photograph, c1898

ALASKA: GOLD RUSH, c1898. A group of prospectors in front of the Grand Pacific Hotel, en route to the Sheep Camp, the Klondike, Alaska. Photograph, c1898

CANADA: YUKON, 1912. Automobile and crew ready to make the first trip from Dawson to Whitehorse and return, Yukon Territory, Canada. Photograph, 1912

ALASKA: GOLD RUSH, c1897. Camp of gold prospectors with their sled dogs near the Dyea Canyon, Yukon Territory, Alaska. Photograph, c1897

ALASKA: GOLD RUSH, c1898. Miners and packers climbing the Golden Stair Trail, Chilcoot Pass, Alaska. Photograph, c 1898

ALASKA: SHEEP CAMP, c1898. Men and their horses and packs on a street in Sheep Camp, Alaska. Photograph, c1898

ALASKA: CHILCOOT PASS, c1898. Miners and packers climbing the Golden Stair Trail, Chilcoot Pass, Alaska. Photograph, c 1898

ALASKA: PROSPECTORS, c1897. A group of prospectors with their pack train of horses making their way through Dyea Canyon, Alaska. Photograph, c1897

ALASKA: DYEA POINT, c1897. A group of gold prospectors with their burro pack train, Dyea Point, Alaska. Photograph, c1897

ALASKA: DYEA, c1897. Healy and Wilsons Store, in the town of Dyea. Photograph, c1897

NEVADA: BULLION MINE, c1866. The Bullion Mine, Gold Hill, Nevada, showing the exterior with men and women outside. Photograph, c1866

NEVADA: MINING, 1866. The hoisting works of the Bullion Mine, Gold Hill, Nevada, with one man operating a hoist and one standing by. Photograph, 1866

NEVADA: MINING, 1866. Quartz mining works at Gold Hill, Virginia City, Nevada. Photograph, 1866

HYDRAULIC MINING, c1867. Hydraulic mining, at Gold Run, Placer County, California. Photograph, c1867

BEAR RIVER VALLEY, c1867. Bear River Valley, near Gold Run in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with gold mines and the You Bet mining district in the distance. Photograph, c1867

CALIFORNIA: YREKA, 1860. A bird s-eye-view of the town of Yreka, California, looking south from Long Gulch Mountain. Graphite, ink, and crayon on paper by Daniel A. Jenks, gold prospector, 1860

GOLD MINE, 1860. Gold mine at Long Gulch, near Yreka, California, where Daniel Jenks bought a mining claim, showing his cabin in the lower right. Graphite, ink, and crayon on paper by Daniel A

GOLD RUSH, 1859. The campsite where the Jenks party pitched their tents on July 22, 1859, identified by the artist as Camp 100, on the banks of the Humboldt River in western Nevada

GOLD RUSH, 1859. A campsite in the forest of the Sierra Nevada Mountains where Daniel Jenks party arrived on 13 August 1859. Graphite, ink and crayon on paper by Daniel A

ROCKY MOUNTAINS, 1859. A view of the Cherokee Pass through the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, leading towards the Oregon and California Trails. Drawing by Daniel Jenks, 1859

GOLD RUSH, 1859. The campsite near the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, identified by the artist as Independence Camp showing one small tent. Graphite and ink on paper by Daniel A

GOLD RUSH, 1859. Daniel Jenks party at the campsite identified by the artist as Camp 14 at Chavis Creek in Kansas Territory during the Gold Rush. Graphite, ink and crayon on paper by Daniel A

GOLD RUSH, 1859. Bents Fort erected by William Bent in 1853 to replace the old fort, above the Arkansas River in eastern Colorado, near present-day Prowers. Graphite and ink by Daniel A

CALIFORNIA MINING SCENE. Cover illustrated with a mining scene, postmarked from Jacksonville, California, and addressed to a recipient in Calais, Maine, c1851

COLORADO: MINERS. Miners at a camp in Colorado. Photographed by William H. Jackson, late 19th century

KLONDIKE GOLD RUSH, 1897. Miners recently arrived in the Klondike. Photographed in 1897 near Dyea, Alaska

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH, 1852. A black miner prospecting in Auburn ravine during the California Gold Rush, 1852

The Gold Rush
circa 1895: A caravan of prospectors arriving at the snowy wastes of the Klondike in Canada to join the great Gold Rush. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

USA, California, Gold Country, Angels Camp: Gold Rush Era Buildings

Bodie State Park, California. USA. Wagon & buildings in ghost town of Bodie. Dechambeau
Wagon and buildings in ghost town of Bodie, Dechambeau Hotel, Post Office, Odd Fellows Lodge, Bodie Ghost Town, California, USA

Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes, Death Valley National Park, California, US

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USA, California, Gold Country, Columbia: Columbia State Historic Park Vintage Horse Bell, Gold Rush Era Park

Historic Hotel, Bendigo, Central Otago, South Island, New Zealand

Crossing the Plains. Gold seekers (Fifty-Niners) on their way to Pikes Peak in the Kansas and Nebraska Territories
COLORADO GOLD RUSH, 1859. Crossing the Plains. Gold seekers (Fifty-Niners) on their way to Pikes Peak in the Kansas and Nebraska Territories. Line engraving, 1859

Prospectors posing at their sluice box. Daugerreotype, probably California, c1850
GOLD MINERS, c1850. Prospectors posing at their sluice box. Daugerreotype, probably California, c1850

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The gold rush phenomenon captivated people around the world, from Australian Gold Rush prospectors in the 1850s to Leadville, a Colorado boom town in the 1870s. The allure of striking it rich drew countless individuals to venture into uncharted territories, hoping to uncover precious nuggets and change their lives forever. In California, where dreams were made and shattered alike, lithographs by Currier & Ives immortalized the chaotic scenes of gold mining in 1871. West Coast towns like Jacksonville in Oregon became bustling hubs as fortune seekers flocked to these promising lands. Even Hollywood couldn't resist the charm of this historical event. In Charlie Chaplin's iconic film "The Gold Rush" from 1925, he humorously portrayed a prospector resorting to eating his own shoe out of desperation - a comical representation of the lengths people would go for that elusive treasure. Sutters Mill holds significant importance as it marks the site where California's first gold discovery took place. It was here that James Marshall stood proudly before Sutters Mill in 1850, forever etching his name into history as an influential prospector. Panning for gold became synonymous with this era; hopeful miners meticulously sifted through riverbeds and streams with pans in hand, praying for that glimmering yellow metal to reveal itself. This laborious process symbolized both determination and uncertainty - each stroke bringing them closer or further away from their ultimate goal. A land-rush frenzy gripped America during this time period; crowds anxiously waited for their chance at staking claim on new territory. The promise of untapped riches fueled their anticipation while also highlighting how quickly fortunes could be won or lost within these newly opened frontiers. Contemporary colored engravings depicted California gold miners hard at work during this transformative era. Their perseverance amidst harsh conditions showcased not only their unwavering spirit but also shed light on the immense sacrifices made in pursuit of wealth.