Children of the Gold Rush

by Jane G. Haigh Claire Rudolf Murphy

These individual stories, vintage photographs, and historic memorabilia tell what life was like for the children who came North with their parents in search of gold.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Lauri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gotta say, my students didn't love this. It is nonfiction and a 6th grade reading level, so it was difficult for 4th graders to get into. The book has a vintage style, which did not seem to appeal to students and the cursive scripts were difficult for them to read. It had some examples of nonfiction text features, such as photographs, captions, and special text blocks, but could have used a bigger variety for our purposes. We were able to connect it to gold mining here in Idaho, as well as the California Gold Rush and the Oregon Trail.

[Sy · Rating 5 out of 5]

You will like it a lot

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great eye opener for reading about the brave families who followed the "trails" to Alaska back in the day.

[Jesse Cuiriz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling collection of stories and photographs that give voice to the children who lived through the Gold Rush. An educational and engaging read.

[Cricket Muse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Images of the gold rush era usually bring to mind bearded men hunched over a sluice box diligently working in less than ideal conditions in hopes of striking it rich. While that may be true there were also women and children who experienced the gold rush in their own way as they accompanied their husbands and fathers.

The book is filled with photographs and stories of children who endured and even thrived their days of the gold rush. This book primarily centers on the Yukon gold rush. The information provides a greater perspective of this aspect of history.

[Maddy Thorne]

Children and their families from all around the country gathered in one place for one powerful thing: gold. Gold was used as jewelry, as trade, and today as an ingredient in medicine. In Children of the Gold Rush, there are many stories shared of families who trekked through the freezing air, and humid waves to get to this precious gold.
In the story, Children of the Gold Rush, eight experiences of young kids and their families with a desire of gold are shown to us. All of the examples given, including Axinia and Helen Cherosky, Antoinette and Annette Mayo, and Cleora Casady include their experiences as they hike to places like the Yukon Territory and Alaska’s Territory. Also, it thoroughly explains their families’ situations and how finding gold can change their future.
An example is Crystal Brilliant Snow and her journey up the treacherous Chilkoot Pass. As a child, Crystal’s family loved to perform. Her father built and owned many theaters at a time, and also managed to have an acting crew taking him all over the country. But as the gold discovery became more popular, her father, George Snow, decided he wanted to add to his gold piles. Her family was practically taking showers in gold nuggets to start, but after high costs of flood damage, home payments, and job needs, Crystal’s family was broke. As Crystal grows, she makes it through school and finds her own job, marries, and pays her own bills.
As you read along the stories of many hopeful families, many find their riches, but others travel all the way and still don’t get their wish granted. Crushed inside, those children keep their heads up high and are ready to take on another mountain pass to help their families achieve their bright future.

[Mackenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for kids about the life of children during the gold rush. The only problem I saw was that the beginning of each chapter began in difficult to decipher cursive.