James Marshall's discovery of gold on January 24, 1848, would be heard by people all over the world. By 1849, twenty-two million Americans came down with a terrific case of gold fever. In Gold! Gold from the American River! Don Brown narrates the uncharted journey across hostile land, the laborious process of panning for gold, the success of savvy entrepreneurs, and the fortunes of the marginalized—from slaves and American Indians to women and foreigners. The accounts of the travelers themselves, with vivid watercolors capturing the excitement, drive, and adrenaline of the gold rush, dramatize and illuminate one of the largest mass migrations in American history.

From the dust jacket