We offer 1 or 2 day field trips for groups of 10 to 200 students. You’ll marvel at our California Gold Rush/ Native American History Program. We use hands on activities to cover a unique blend of topics, from the physical and human geography of California, to Native American cultures and the economic, social and political effects of the California Gold Rush.
Students in our Gold Rush History program explore the following topics through hands-on outdoor activities:
- Geology
- Rocks, minerals and specific focus on the ‘Au’ element – gold!
- Hydrology
- Water cycle, continental drift, erosion, gold panning
- Native American History
- Native plant scavenger hunt, acorn grinding, story-telling
- Human Geography
- The three routes taken to California the Gold Rush, daily life of a miner
Students can see a representation of the town of Coloma in the Gold Rush days at Marshall Gold Discovery Park, the site of gold discovery in 1848, which is located a few minutes drive from our camp. At Mother Lode River Center, students will pan for their own gold and make Dutch oven cornbread in the style of the old miners.
