Gold Rush | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/gold-rush/RSS feed for Gold RushenFri, 21 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000When a Carpenter in California Found a Nugget of Gold, It Started a Rush Toward Nothing Less Than the Modern Worldhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-carpenter-california-found-nugget-gold-started-rush-toward-nothing-less-modern-world-180989283/A new book by historian Nathaniel Philbrick makes the case that James Marshall’s 1848 discovery set in motion events from the Civil War to the rise of Silicon ValleyFri, 21 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-carpenter-california-found-nugget-gold-started-rush-toward-nothing-less-modern-world-180989283/From a Sea Turtle Release to an Outhouse Race, These Ten Fourth of July Traditions Celebrate America Like No Otherhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/from-a-sea-turtle-rescue-to-an-outhouse-race-these-ten-fourth-of-july-traditions-celebrate-america-like-no-other-180989044/Revelers typically mark Independence Day with a barbecue and fireworks show, but these festivities across the country offer quirky alternativesTue, 30 Jun 2026 15:29:09 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/from-a-sea-turtle-rescue-to-an-outhouse-race-these-ten-fourth-of-july-traditions-celebrate-america-like-no-other-180989044/This Rare-Coin Scavenger Hunt in San Francisco Offers Participants the Chance to Relive the California Gold Rushhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-rare-coin-scavenger-hunt-in-san-francisco-offers-participants-the-chance-to-relive-the-california-gold-rush-180988598/A local coin dealer will hide historic currency worth a total of $50,000 in its third annual citywide challenge on April 25Wed, 22 Apr 2026 18:42:31 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-rare-coin-scavenger-hunt-in-san-francisco-offers-participants-the-chance-to-relive-the-california-gold-rush-180988598/Wildfire Sweeps Through Historic California Gold Rush Town Settled by Chinese Minershttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/wildfire-sweeps-through-historic-california-gold-rush-town-settled-by-chinese-miners-180987294/Caused by a massive lightning storm, the 6-5 Fire destroyed the post office and several other buildings in the small town of Chinese CampFri, 05 Sep 2025 19:31:36 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/wildfire-sweeps-through-historic-california-gold-rush-town-settled-by-chinese-miners-180987294/Tattered Pages Discovered in Storage Reveal an Enslaved Man's Daring Bid for Freedom—and His Second Life at Seahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/tattered-pages-discovered-in-storage-reveal-an-enslaved-mans-daring-bid-for-freedom-and-his-second-life-at-sea-180986838/Historians are investigating the haunting handwritten manuscript, which chronicles Thomas White's escape from slavery in Maryland and adventures around the world nearly 200 years agoWed, 18 Jun 2025 18:56:17 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/tattered-pages-discovered-in-storage-reveal-an-enslaved-mans-daring-bid-for-freedom-and-his-second-life-at-sea-180986838/Engineering Marvels of the Silver Statehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/sponsored/engineering-marvels-of-the-silver-state-180986283/Discover the 19th-century innovations that put Nevada on the mapMon, 14 Apr 2025 18:42:15 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/sponsored/engineering-marvels-of-the-silver-state-180986283/Hundreds Died When This Steamship Sank in the Pacific Northwest in 1875 With Gold Worth Millions On Boardhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hundreds-died-when-this-steamship-sank-in-the-pacific-northwest-in-1875-with-gold-worth-millions-on-board-180985928/A century and a half later, the sinking of the S.S. Pacific remains one of the deadliest maritime disasters in the region’s historyThu, 30 Jan 2025 11:30:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hundreds-died-when-this-steamship-sank-in-the-pacific-northwest-in-1875-with-gold-worth-millions-on-board-180985928/The Discovery of Gold on This Date in 1848 at Sutter’s Creek Kicked Off the California Gold Rush and Transformed Americahttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-discovery-of-gold-on-this-date-in-1848-at-sutters-creek-kicked-off-the-california-gold-rush-and-transformed-america-180985858/The unquenchable demand for gold spurred a mass migration and fueled the genocide of Native communitiesFri, 24 Jan 2025 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-discovery-of-gold-on-this-date-in-1848-at-sutters-creek-kicked-off-the-california-gold-rush-and-transformed-america-180985858/The Enterprising Woman Who Built—and Lost, and Rebuilt—a Booming Empire During the Klondike Gold Rushhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/enterprising-woman-belinda-mulrooney-built-booming-empire-klondike-gold-rush-180985221/With flinty perseverance and a golden touch, Belinda Mulrooney earned an unlikely fortune in the frozen north and reshaped the Canadian frontierWed, 23 Oct 2024 20:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/enterprising-woman-belinda-mulrooney-built-booming-empire-klondike-gold-rush-180985221/The Forgotten Black Explorers Who Transformed Americans' Understanding of the Wildernesshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-forgotten-black-explorers-who-transformed-americans-understanding-of-the-wilderness-180984607/Esteban, York and James Beckwourth charted the American frontier between the 16th and 19th centuriesFri, 28 Jun 2024 11:15:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-forgotten-black-explorers-who-transformed-americans-understanding-of-the-wilderness-180984607/