Adventures of the Old West: The 49ers and the California Gold Rush on AllMovie

The 1848 discovery of gold in California's American River led many men to travel west in search of the dream of instant wealth. What they found when they got there is the subject of this episode of Adventures of the Old West. Judicious use of archival materials brings the period alive. The Gold Rush sparked the creation of the Transcontinental Railroad and the digging of the Panama Canal. Narrated by Kris Kristofferson, this video documents a turning point in history of the United States. Its reliance on original source materials makes it appropriate for use in the college or high school classroom.