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The Object of History | Behind the Scenes with the Curators of the National Museum of American History

The Gold Nugget


  • Introduction
  • Explore
  • Tour
  • Resources
  • The Object
  • Object in History
  • Object in the Museum
  • What is the story of the discovery of gold?
  • By Land: a Map of the Overland Routes to the Gold Region
  • How did the notion of "manifest destiny" figure into the gold rush?
  • Steamer Flyer
  • Why do you think that people were willing to come to California?
  • Rules and Regulations
  • What role did Mormons play in the story of the Gold Rush in California?
  • Mormon Sunstone
  • By Sea: Routes to California via Panama  and Cape Horn
  • A Miner at Work: Panning for Gold
  • Rocking the Cradle: Seeking Gold with Water Pressure
  • What was the impact of the discovery of gold on the land and the peoples of California?
  • Romantic Visions: The California Quadrilles
  • What industries sprang up around the gold mining towns?
  • Levi's Brown Duck Trowsers
  • Jewelry: Gold Nugget Watch and Fob, 1886

Select an item to see it with a brief annotation.

National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution George Mason University, Department of History and Art History Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
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