Gold Mining Towns

Many towns sprang up overnight as new gold deposits were discovered in the western Sierra Nevada foothills. These towns were called "boomtowns." The first gold discovery was at the south fork of the American River in an area that was inhabited by the Maidu Indians.

In what town was gold first discovered?

Hangtown

Sutter's Fort

Koloma

The most popular Gold Rush song was "Oh, California!" It is sung to the tune of "Oh, Susannah!"The Calicanto and Associates site has more information on song books, tapes and CDs about California history.

"Oh, California" Sound Movie
(Quicktime 3.0 or 4.0 needed)

This movie will stream with a 56k modem or faster Internet connection (341k)