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This text is one of three companion volumes for young readers to the PBS television documentary "The West", by filmmakers Ken Burns, Stephen Ives and Geoffrey C. Ward, who also collaborated on "The Civil War" series. Before 1848, only a few non-Indian people lived in the West. But a tiny nugget of gold, no bigger than a dime, discovered on January 24th, 1848, changed the history of the West, and o... More

This text is one of three companion volumes for young readers to the PBS television documentary "The West", by filmmakers Ken Burns, Stephen Ives and Geoffrey C. Ward, who also collaborated on "The Civil War" series. Before 1848, only a few non-Indian people lived in the West. But a tiny nugget of gold, no bigger than a dime, discovered on January 24th, 1848, changed the history of the West, and of America, forever. Drawn by the promise of instant riches, thousands of people from all corners of the world flocked to the goldfields, the largest migration in the country's history. For many, the gold rush would only lead to loss - of money, of health, even of life. But for others it would prove to be an adventure, a chance to create a whole new world. Drawing on source material, this text tells the story of those who left everything behind for the chance to strike it rich - and those whose lives were changed irrevocably by their coming.

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