Your Life as a Columbia Gold Miner

Have your class step into the shoes of gold miners at Columbia State Historic Park during the California Gold Rush! Together, we will take on the role of gold miner characters and create journals reflecting on what life was like for gold miners during the Gold Rush. Journals were commonly kept by gold miners during the Gold Rush and helped them to take notes, collect their thoughts, and document their lives. Today, these journals provide us with a window into the lives of the miners who kept them and document the challenges they faced and the ways in which they transformed California. We will learn about the growth of the town of Columbia and the consequences of the Gold Rush that all Californians still feel today. We'll discuss how the Gold Rush brought immigrants from all over the world to California, transforming it into the diverse state it is today, and how the Gold Rush led to the growth of California's economy to become the largest in the nation.

Students will create a gold miner character, with a name, picture, and background, before taking on the role of that character to write journal entries reflecting on what they are learning about life during the California Gold Rush. Students will engage in personal reflection, small and large group discussions, and movement activities to get a glimpse into life as a Columbia gold miner. This program is designed for grades 3-5.