The Wells Fargo Book of the Gold Rush

Through the accounts recorded in the Wells Fargo Archives, young readers can learn what life was like during the California gold rush from its earliest beginnings through the 1849 recession, complete with period prints and photos.

Gr 4-8-The important virtues that help this book to stand apart from the many others on the subject are the inclusion of period photographs and illustrations from the Wells Fargo Historical Archives and Rau's detailed, unified, and sequential narration. The author devotes individual chapters to the journeys of the forty-niners by land or by sea to California; to the various methods by which the miners collected or extracted gold from the surrounding soil and rock; and to various aspects of daily life in mining towns and camps. She also discusses the impact of the miners on the local Native American tribes and on the environment; the sometimes tumultuous and violent relations between "Anglos" and "foreigners," including the Mexicans who inhabited California long before the miners; the concurrent drive among Californians for statehood; and the interdependence of the economies of the eastern and western segments of the U.S., including the "bust" of the 1850s. The importance of banks and exchange services in the movement and safekeeping of the sometimes astounding amounts of money generated are also covered. It can be argued that Rau's final chapters constitute an encomium for Wells Fargo as well as an attack on the U.S. Postal Service. Nevertheless, this wide-ranging book is profusely illustrated, well organized, and thorough.

Coop Renner, Moreno Elementary School, El Paso, TX

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

The Wells Fargo Book of the Gold Rush by Margaret Rau begins with James Marshall's 1848 discovery of gold flakes in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas and chronicles the mayhem that follows, with covered wagons headed west, townships springing up in their path and the start of Wells Fargo in 1852, which provided an "express forwarding agency" for valuable cargo. The book ends with the "Bust" of 1855 and the Forty-Niners' departure. Period photographs and drawings from the Wells Fargo Historical Archives illustrate the events.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 6-10. Rau's thoroughly detailed, but thinly documented treatment of the California gold rush examines events from a variety of angles. The author begins by covering the same ground as most textbooks: the discovery at Sutter's Mill, the westward rush across land and sea, the boom mentality that transformed San Francisco and gave birth to dozens of seemingly lawless mining towns. It's not until the later chapters that she completes the picture by describing the impact of women on the mining camps, the destruction of the land, and the bloody tactics used against Native American, Hispanic, and immigrant treasure seekers. Because this book has no introduction or conclusion to offer a big picture, some readers may have difficulty integrating the various topics presented, but those who can will gain a rich understanding of how the gold rush shaped the land and the politics of California. Artwork from the Wells Fargo archives illustrates the work, and there's a bibliography of mostly older and adult titles. No source notes. Randy Meyer
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