Explores the details of the California gold rush and the efforts of American pioneers to achieve freedom from Mexican rule, covering topics such as the routes people took, the dangers of travel, and panning techniques, with illustrations, a timeline, and statistics.

"Ready, set, gold!" : what was found at Sutter's sawmill? -- An island called California : what did Spanish explorers hope to find in California? -- Gold fever! : why was travel to California so dangerous? -- Life in the land of gold : why was it hard for miners to make money? -- Panning for gold : how much did the biggest lump of gold found in California weigh? -- The dark side : what was the Chinese name for California? -- End of the gold rush : how did the gold rush help America?