Gold Rush Collection (#15)

CALIFORNIA: MINING, 1883. Three miners working at a wooden sluice used in the process of hydraulic gold mining in California. Wood engraving by Henry Sandham, 1883

GOLD RUSH: MINERS, 1887. A Rich Strike - A Million in Sight. A potential buyer examines a nugget of gold as hopeful miners watch. Wood engraving, American, 1887

GOLD RUSH: PROSPECTOR. A prospector examines a nugget of gold in the American West. Wood engraving, mid or late 19th century

GUIDE TO PIKEs PEAK, 1859. Cover of L. J. Eastins Emigrants Guide to Pikes Peak, published at Leavenworth City
GUIDE TO PIKEs PEAK, 1859. Cover of L.J. Eastins Emigrants Guide to Pikes Peak, published at Leavenworth City, Kansas Territory, 1859

AUSTRALIA: GOLD RUSH, 1860. A gold rush near Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, c1860. Wood engraving, English, 1887

AUSTRALIA: GOLD RUSH, 1880. Men at Sydney Railway Station boarding a train for the gold fields of Temora, New South Wales, during the gold rush that started in 1879

AUSTRALIA: GOLD RUSH, 1872. Dealing in mining shares in the town of Ballarat, Western Australia, during the gold rush of the 1890s. Contemporary wood engraving

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH. Ocean beach mining, at Gold Bluff. Wood engraving, 1860

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH. An arrastra, a mill for grinding quartz to isolate the gold in it. Wood engraving, 1860

GOLD MINING, 1860. Gold miners using a flutter wheel on the Tuolumne River in California. Wood engraving, American, 1860

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH. An Exciting Discovery - Its Gold! Wood engraving, American, mid-19th century

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH. Washing with the long tom. Wood engraving, 1860

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH. Gold mining in the Mokelumne River, California. Line engraving, American, mid 19th century

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH. -Monsieur, the governor of Califonia please? -That is me, monsieur... -Would you like to read this letter... -Leave me quite alone

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH. Winnowing gold in California. Wood engraving, 1860

GOLD RUSH CARTOON. -I had a good day... I retrieved ten thousand francs in gold... I would like a good meal now. -Monsieur, I will not cook a meal for less than fifteen thousand francs!

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH. Packing earth. Wood engraving, 1860

AUSTRALIAN GOLD RUSH, 1852. An assistant commissioner receiving and weighing gold for escort at the Turon gold fields, New South Wales, Australia, 1852. Wood engraving, English, 1853

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH. Mill for isolating gold from quartz, Grass Valley, California. Wood engraving, 1860

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH. Miners washing their gold earth through the long tom - A scene near Sacramento, California. Wood engraving, American, 1862

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH. California miners working the long tom. Wood engraving, 1852

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH. Flume, on the Shady Creek Canal. Wood engraving, 1860

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH. The first gold-hunters. Prospectors in California. Wood engraving

AUSTRALIAN GOLD RUSH, 1851. Gold miners of the Mount Alexander diggings at Port Phillip, Victoria, having dinner in camp, 1851. Wood engraving, English, 1852

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH. Tunneling, at Table Mountain. Wood engraving, 1860

GOLD RUSH CARTOON. Satirical French cartoon depicting the potential dangers at a California gold mine, mid 19th century

GOLD RUSH CARTOON. Simple precautions to take in California, if one wants to spend the night safely and rediscover his gold upon waking

CHILDREN: MINERs DAUGHTER. The ragged daughter of a poor prospector at the time of the California Gold Rush. Wood engraving, American, 1876, after David Hunter Strother (known as Porte Crayon)

SAN FRANCISCO, 1850. View of San Francisco, California, and its busy harbor. Wood engraving, English, 1850

AUSTRALIAN GOLD RUSH, 1852. Miners washing gold in the Port Phillip district near Melbourne, Australia

MINING CAMP, 1860. Scene in the mining settlement at Gregory Gulch in the Colorado Rockies. Wood engraving, American, 1860

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH. Placer mining during the California Gold Rush. Wood engraving, American, 19th century

GOLD MINING CAMP, 1853. Gold miners preparing their food. Wood engraving, American, 1853

GOLD MINING CAMP, 1853. Gold miners spending a rainy day in camp mending their clothes. Wood engraving, American, 1853

MINERs TEN COMMANDMENTS. Broadside by James M. Hutchings, 1853, on the California Gold Rush

AUSTRALIAN GOLD RUSH, 1852. Gold commissioners issuing licenses and weighing the gold dust at Ballarat, Australia. Wood engraving from an English newspaper of 1852

GOLD MINING CAMP, 1853. A pleasant surprise. Gold miners encounter a bear warming itself by the fire inside their tent. Wood engraving, American, 1853

GOLD PROSPECTORS, 1876. Gold prospectors in Denver, Colorado, departing for the Black Hills of South Dakota. Wood engraving, 1876

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH, 1853. A California Forty-niner. Wood engraving, American, 1853

AUSTRALIA: GOLD RUSH, 1869. Main Street in the mining town of Spring Creek, Victoria, Australia, during the gold rush of the 1860s. Wood engraving from an Australian newspaper of 1869

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

AUSTRALIAN CHRISTMAS c1870. Christmas at the gold diggings in Australia: wood engraving, English, 1870

SAN FRANCISCO, 1850. Sansome Street at the beginning of the California Gold Rush. Line engraving, English, 1850

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH, 1860. Ground sluicing opertions at Gold Hill, California. Wood engraving, American, 1860

JOSEPH JUNEAU (1826-1899). The discoverer of gold at Gold Creek, Alaska in 1880. Line engraving, American, 1892

COLORADO: GOLD MINER, 1859. A prospector on his way to the Pikes Peak gold mines in Colorado. Wood engraving, 1859

GOLD MINERS, 1859. Exploring a cavern in the Sierra Nevada, California: wood engraving from an American newspaper

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH, 1849. Gold miners in camp in the Sacramento Valley, California, 1849. Wood engraving from a contemporary English newspaper

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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.