Riches for All

The California Gold Rush was much more than a western or white event - it involved and affected diverse peoples, places, and histories far outside of its region and time. In this volume, leading scholars cast new light on the Gold Rush by examining its trajectory and legacy within a global context of race, economics, and culture. A dynamic range of peoples were drawn to and impacted by the California Gold Rush - including Mormons, California Indians, African Americans, Chinese, Mexicans and Latin Americans. Special attention is given here to their varying motivations and experiences and frequently shared struggle against racism in California. The roles and influence of other important components of Gold Rush society - women, workers, law-breakers, and law-enforcers - are also examined. A number of contributors cast their eyes beyond the event to consider its long-term consequences for California history and for subsequent gold rushes in the northwest and Klondike. With lively and incisive strokes, the contributors to this collection paint the most complete and nuanced portrait of the California Gold Rush to date. Kenneth N. Owens is a professor emeritus of history at California State University. He is the editor of The Wreck of the Sv. Nikolai and John Sutter and a Wider West, both published by the University of Nebraska Press.