Not all the gold diggers made their fortunes with precious shinny metal. Some, like Levi Strauss, Henry Wells, and Phillip Armour struck it rich by offering goods and services to the new immigrants to California. When the gold was gone, these new businesses remained...and continue to remain today.


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Your group are the experts on News Makers of the Gold Rush. Your job is to research, learn, and share this expertise with your fellow prospectors.

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Digging for Gold...

• Think about what you know
• Research on the Internet
• Analyze new resources
• Write a journal entry
• Create a Gold Rush newspaper

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Think . . .

Use the logbook to record your thoughts about your expert topic.   THINK about...  ï What you know at the start of your journey  ï What you want to know  ï What you have learned by the conclusion of the project

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Research . . .

Click the link below to explore new resources about the News Makers during this rush for gold in California. Concentrate while navigating the Internet and use the BACK button on the toolbar to return to your expert page. Success Stories

Analyze . . .
 

Explore the concepts you discover while browsing the Internet resources on your expert topic. Think critically as you analyze the information and record your answers to the following relevant questions in the logbook.  1. How does the legacy of Levi Strauss live on today? 2. Who were Henry Wells and William Fargo? How did they strike gold? 3. Who was the most famous celebrity of the Gold Rush? Why? 4. How did a New York butcher and a wheelbarrow maker stake their claim? 5. Why did some folks choose NOT to pan for gold?

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Write . . .
 

Imagine you were living back in the times of Gold Rush Fever. Compose a diary entry from a day in the life of a new business person out west. Be creative and record your thoughts in the logbook.   Some ideas to consider:   ï What time did you rise in the morning?  ï What was for breakfast (lunch or dinner) and who cooked it?  ï How did you dress? (probably depends on where you worked)  ï Who did you meet during the day?  ï Why did you come out west?  ï Who was in your family  ï Where did you live?  ï What are your feelings about living during the Gold Rush?

 
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Create . . .

As pioneering journalists your group will design and create your own newspaper which illustrates your area of expertise. Each group member should write at least one article and draw one picture for the paper.
 

Newspaper Elements:  Title  Date/place/cost Lead story (headline) Supporting articles Interesting pictures Table of contents  Weather Obituaries Advertisements Classified (help wanted, or something to buy or sell)

Materials for Design:  Large paper Markers Rulers Crayons Scissors

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