WELLS FARGO HISTORY MUSEUM PORTLAND, OREGON

PRE-TOUR PACKET

Table of Contents Dear Educator Letter………………………………………………… 2 A Brief History of Wells Fargo……………………………………… 3 What’s in a Name?…………………………………………………... 4 Primary Sources vs. Secondary Sources….………………………… . 6 Multidisciplinary Teaching Activities on Stagecoach Travel………. 7 Riding the Overland Stage by Mark Twain. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . . . 8 Tips for Stagecoach Travelers…………………………………......... 11 How Fast did the Stagecoach Travel?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 13 Art and Stagecoach Travel…………………………………………... 14 Songs of Stagecoach Travel…………………………………………. 18 Poetry in Motion – Stagecoach Haiku…………………………….. .. 19 Stagecoach Advertisement, 1867…………………………………… 20 Build Your Own Telegraph Machine……………………………….. 22 Using Morse Code…………………………………………………... 24 Vocabulary List……………………………………………………... 25 Post-Classroom Activities………. ………………………................. 28 Children’s Books of Interest……………………………………….... 29 This packet of information and activities is intended to be copied for use in the classroom. There is no need to seek further permission. - 1 -

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Dear Educator, This is a brief outline of the material presented to students when they visit the Wells Fargo History Museum. The focus is on information and activities that will help to achieve Oregon State Social Science Standards while at the same time providing a memorable, fun, and hands-on experience.

I. Students will learn about the Gold Rush, a cause of settlement in the American West. (Cause and effect) a. Geography of U. S. and Oregon: territories and states b. Gold mining in California and Oregon: mining techniques, supply

and demand, qualities and value of gold c. The delivery of gold from the mines to the mint d. The role Wells Fargo played in the settlement of Oregon and the

West.

II. Students will learn about Wells Fargo agents and their jobs. a. How assayers determined the value of gold b. The services Wells Fargo agents provided to people from 1852-1918. c. Communication difficulties in the 19th Century

III. Students will compare and contrast major forms of 19th Century

transportation and learn how Wells Fargo used stagecoaches, steamers, and trains to connect communities. a. Introduce the stagecoach and compare to other modes of

transportation b. Stagecoach provided a communication link, speedy transportation,

and carried money, mail, and people. c. Travel conditions aboard the stagecoach contrasted with present-day

travel conditions d. Operation and details of the stagecoach

IV. Students will learn how population changes in the West required innovation and invention. a. The invention and use of the telegraph b. The transcontinental railroad

A Brief History of Wells Fargo

As the Oldest Bank in the WestTM, Wells Fargo has established standards of service,

honesty, and reliability. Spurred by the discovery of gold, Henry Wells and William Fargo formed Wells, Fargo and Company in 1852. On July 13, 1852, the firm opened its first office in San Francisco, California, providing banking, express, and mail delivery services to merchants and miners. As miners moved north and east from California, Wells Fargo’s banking, express, and mail service went with them. Wells Fargo’s success in California allowed the company to expand quickly. By October, the first Oregon office opened on Front Street in Portland. William Barnhart, Wells Fargo’s first agent in Oregon, received the following instructions: “You will please select and appoint your own Agents at Oregon City, Salem, and elsewhere.”

Customers not only entrusted their gold, letters, parcels, and freight to Wells Fargo, some even used the general express company to transport their wives and children. In the 1860’s, Wells Fargo connected its far-flung offices thru a great overland stagecoach network extending over 3,000 miles of the West. When Californians and Oregonians turned to farming and manufacturing, Wells Fargo continued to offer express services. The firm’s express offices blanketed both states and went “ocean to ocean” to New York in 1888. By 1918, Wells Fargo had a network of 10,000 offices nationwide. During World War I, the federal government placed all of the nation’s express companies under government control as a wartime measure to move troops and cargo. Wells Fargo express signs came down across Oregon, and Wells Fargo was left with one bank in San Francisco.

During the 20th Century, Wells Fargo became the bank it is known today. By merging with other recognized banks such as American Trust Company, Crocker Bank, First Interstate, and Norwest, Wells Fargo has become the nation’s fifth largest bank. After more than 150 years, the name “Wells Fargo” stands as a symbol of integrity and stability worldwide.

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What’s in a Name?

Henry Wells (1805-1878)

Henry Wells, born in Thetford, Vermont, moved in his youth to central New York where he worked for a farmer and then a shoemaker. Seeing opportunity in the newly developed express business, he changed careers. In 1841, he became an agent at Albany, New York for William Harnden, founder of the express business. Shortly thereafter, Wells made his reputation for dependability when he delivered fresh oysters to Buffalo, New York.

As the express business expanded into the Midwest, Wells formed a partnership with other expressmen to deliver valuables, financial documents, and mail. In 1850, these partners formed the American Express Company. Wells became its first president and served until 1868.

In 1852, Henry Wells and William G. Fargo started a joint stock company called Wells, Fargo and Company to conduct a banking and express business in Gold Rush California. A year later, when he visited the new enterprise in San Francisco, Henry Wells judged it a success and wrote, “This is a great country and a greater people.” Wells was interested in educational opportunities for women and founded Wells College in Aurora, New York, one of the nation’s first colleges for women.

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William G. Fargo (1818-1881)

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William George Fargo was born in Pompey, New York, the eldest of twelve

children. At thirteen, he had a forty-mile mail route. In 1842, he met Henry Wells in Auburn, New York and became involved in the express business. In 1850, Henry Wells and William Fargo founded the American Express Company, with Fargo serving as its president from 1868-1881. Six of William Fargo’s brothers also worked for American Express.

Fargo saw opportunity on the Pacific Coast. In 1852, Henry Wells and William Fargo started the express company Wells, Fargo and Company. Fargo came to California by Overland stagecoach in 1863 to promote a railroad over the Sierra Nevada Mountains and to lay the foundation for Wells Fargo’s stagecoach business. Fargo served as president of Wells Fargo from 1870 to 1872.

Fargo was active in New York politics for many years and served two terms as mayor of Buffalo. He was also a director of the Northern Pacific Railroad, which led to the use of his name for the town of Fargo, North Dakota.

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Primary Sources vs. Secondary Sources

Many historians gather history from primary sources. A primary source is something from the time in history you are studying. For example, an excellent primary source is a journal or diary written by someone from the time and place you are studying. Other primary sources that historians consider important are called ephemera or items from daily life that give clues to what the world was like. These can be tickets for travel, receipts for purchases, or anything that people from that time used in daily life. Some primary sources:

• Journal or diary • Ticket for travel • Letter written by someone during the time you are studying • Envelopes • Original documents like waybills, checks, etc. • Advertisements from the time • Objects that show what life was like: sewing baskets, toys, etc.

Secondary sources are considered anything written or told about the time in history by someone who has already studied it. It is secondary because the person telling the history did not live in that time. An example of a secondary source is a book written about a time or place in the past. Some secondary sources:

• History textbooks • Magazine articles written about the time, such as a history of children in the

United States • Text plates in museums containing information about history

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Multidisciplinary Teaching Activities on Stagecoach Travel Overview These lessons will explore different descriptions of stagecoach travel using history, math, art, and music. Objectives: • Students will recognize the difference between how artists illustrated

stagecoach travel and the reality of stagecoach travel by reading an historical account of stagecoach travel and studying art.

• Students will use a math formula to figure out how long it took the stagecoach to travel from Missouri to California moving at five miles per hour.

• Students will write a story on stagecoach travel using the Six Trait Writing Process.

• Students will listen to songs about the stagecoach and write their own songs.

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Historical Account of Stagecoach Travel Directions: Have students read the historical account about the stagecoach and answer the following questions: 1. What was it like to travel on a stagecoach? 2. In addition to people, what else did the stagecoach carry? 3. How many pounds of luggage was each passenger allowed to bring? 4. Why do you think receiving letters meant so much to people who settled the

West? 5. How often did the stagecoach stop? 6. What was a way station? 7. What did the way station provide for passengers when they stopped?

Riding the Overland Stage (1861) Starting Out Twain and his brother discover that passengers are limited to only 25 pounds of baggage. After shedding much of their luggage, the intrepid travelers are on their way across the plains of Kansas. "Our coach was a swinging and swaying cage of the most sumptuous description - an imposing cradle on wheels. It was drawn by six handsome horses, and by the side of the driver sat the 'conductor,' the legitimate captain of the craft; for it was his business to take charge and care of the mails, baggage, express matter, and passengers. We three were the only passengers this trip. We sat on the back seat, inside. About all the rest of the coach was full of mail bags - for we had three days' delayed mail with us. Almost touching our knees, a perpendicular wall of mail matter rose up to the roof. There was a great pile of it strapped on top of the stage, and both the fore and hind boots were full. We had twenty-seven hundred pounds of it aboard, the driver said. . . We changed horses every ten miles, all day long, and fairly flew over the hard, level road. We jumped out and stretched our legs every time the coach stopped, and so the night found us still vivacious and unfatigued." Traveling The next day, the stage suffers a breakdown forcing its passengers to evacuate while repairs are made. The conductor lays the blame for the mishap on the extra weight of too many mailbags. After throwing half the mail onto the prairie, the stage resumes its journey. Orion's large Unabridged Dictionary causes trouble along the way.

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"Whenever the stage stopped to change horses, we would wake up, and try to recollect where we were - and succeed - and in a minute or two the stage would be off again, and we likewise. We began to get into country, now, threaded here and there with little streams. These had high, steep banks on each side, and every time we flew down one bank and scrambled up the other, our party inside got mixed somewhat. First we would all lie down in a pile at the forward end of the stage, nearly in a sitting posture, and in a second we would shoot to the other end and stand on our heads. And we would sprawl and kick, too, and ward off ends and corners of mail-bags that came lumbering over us and about us; and as the dust rose from the tumult, we would all sneeze in chorus, and the majority of us would grumble, and probably say some hasty thing, like: 'Take your elbow out of my ribs! Can't you quit crowding?' Every time we avalanched from one end of the stage to the other, the Unabridged Dictionary would come too; and every time it came it damaged somebody. One trip it 'barked' the Secretary's elbow; the next trip it hurt me in the stomach, and the third it tilted Bemis's nose up till he could look down his nostrils - he said. The pistols and coin soon settled to the bottom, but the pipes, pipe-stems, tobacco, and canteens clattered and floundered after the Dictionary every time it made an assault on us, and aided and abetted the book by spilling tobacco in our eyes, and water down our backs." The Way Station Each evening, the stage announces its approach to a way station by the driver blowing a bugle. The way station offers sparse comfort. "The station buildings were long, low huts, made of sun-dried, mud-colored bricks, laid up without mortar (adobes the Spaniards call these bricks, and Americans shorten it to 'dobies). The roofs, which had no slant to them worth speaking of, were thatched and then sodded or covered with a thick layer of earth, and from this sprang a pretty rank growth of weeds and grass. It was the first time we had ever seen a man's front yard on top of his house. The buildings consisted of barns, stable-room for twelve or fifteen horses, and a hut for an eating room for passengers. This latter had bunks in it for the station-keeper and a hostler or two. You could rest your elbow on its eaves, and you had to bend in order to get in at the door. In place of a window there was a square hole about large enough for a man to crawl through, but this had no glass in it. There was no flooring, but the ground was packed hard. There was no stove, but the fire-place served all needful purposes. There were no shelves, no cupboards, no closets. In a corner stood an open sack of flour, and nestling against its base were a couple of black and venerable tin coffee-pots, a tin teapot, a little bag of salt, and a side of bacon.

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By the door of the station keeper's den, outside, was a tin wash-basin, on the ground. Near it was a pail of water and a piece of yellow soap, and from the eves hung a hoary blue woolen shirt, significantly - but this latter was the station-keeper's private towel, and only two persons in all the party might venture to use it - the stage-driver and the conductor." "Riding The Overland Stage, 1861," Eyewitness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (1998).

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Name: Date:

Tips for Stagecoach Travelers’1 Activity Sheet Imagine you are on board a stagecoach going from Portland to Sacramento and are keeping a diary of each day’s events along the way. Your trip will take six days and nights. In the space below, make five brief entries into your diary telling how you and your fellow passengers are obeying, or not obeying, the rules outlined in Tips for Stagecoach Travelers.

My diary of the stagecoach trip Entry 1: Entry 2: Entry 3: Entry 4: Entry 5:

1 This is an abridged, edited version of Tips for Plains Travelers, which appeared in an 1877 column of the Omaha Herald. Wells Fargo never published any such set of regulations. These tips were based on eyewitness accounts of stagecoach travel and common rules of late nineteenth-century American etiquette.

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How Fast did the Stagecoach Travel?

Distance Time = -----------

Rate Using the math formula above, have students figure out how long it took the stagecoach to travel 2,800 miles from St. Joseph, MO to Sacramento, CA traveling at 5 miles per hour. Time (in hours) = 2,800 (distance from St. Joseph, MO to Sacramento, CA) ------------------------------------------------------------------ 5 miles per hour (rate) The answer should be 560 hours. How many days would this be? Now, have students figure out how long it would take to travel 2,800 miles today from St. Joseph, MO to Sacramento, CA traveling at 65 miles per hour. Time (in hours) = 2,800 (distance from St. Joseph, MO to Sacramento, CA) ------------------------------------------------------------- 65 miles per hour (rate)

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Art and Stagecoach Travel Have students answer the questions below. Then, have students choose one of the two drawings, name it, and use the six trait writing process (http://www.nwrel.org/assessment/pdfRubrics/6plus1traits.PDF) to write a story about it. 1. What is your first impression of each sketch? 2. The point of entry into a painting or sketch is called the focal point. How does

the artist draw you into the picture? Where does your eye start to look first, and where does it move throughout the painting?

3. How are these sketches similar? How are they different? 4. What does each sketch tell us about how fast the stagecoach traveled?

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Visit Activities Before the students go on the fieldtrip, have the bus driver drive the bus at five miles per hour in order to show the students how fast the stagecoach traveled. While visiting the museum, students will choose one painting, illustration, or artwork about the stagecoach that grabs their attention and answer the following questions: 1. What do you like about this work of art? 2. Why did you choose this work of art?

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Songs of Stagecoach Travel If possible, go to the local library and find some songs of travel for students to listen to. Possible recordings are: Music Man [sound recording]: recording, book, music and lyrics by Meredith Wilson. Includes the “Wells Fargo Wagon.” Songs of the Wild West. Commentary by Alan Axelrod; arrangements by Dan Fox. Songs of the Trail compiled by Ron Middlebrook Below is an example of a song about Wells Fargo. Now, that you have learned about stagecoach travel, write a song or poem about the stagecoach. It can go to the tune of any song you like from rap to hip-hop, rock, pop, folk, etc. The Wells and Fargo Line Come listen to my story, I’ll not detain you long, A-singing and a-humming this simple silly song. ‘Tis of the old ex-convicts, the men who served their time For robbing mountain stages on the Wells and Fargo line. Oh, there was Major Thompson, turned up the other day, He said that he would hold them up or the devil would be to pay. For he could hold a rifle and draw a bead so fine Upon those shotgun messengers of the Wells and Fargo line. And there was Jimmy Miner who thought he was a thief, But he did surely prove himself to be a dirty sneak; And now behind San Quentin’s walls he’s serving out his time, For giving tips to old Jim Hughes on the Wells and Fargo line. And there was still another who well did play his part; He’s known among the mountains as the highwayman, Black Bart. He’d ride the trail both night and day For the Wells and Fargo treasure. And now my story’s ended, I’ve not detained you long, A-singing and a-humming this simple silly song. And though the nights are long, boys, and weary grows the time, But when we are out we’ll ride again the Wells and Fargo line. *Taken from Songs of the Wild West. New York: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1991, pp. 104-105.

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Poetry in Motion – Stagecoach Haiku

Haiku is form of Japanese poetry that uses a pattern to describe nature.

The pattern for Haiku is the following:

Line 1: 5 syllables Line 2: 7 syllables Line 3: 5 syllables

Directions:

1. Brainstorm words that describe nature such as: trees, mountains, the wind, dust, etc.

2. Make sure that you include some aspect of travel on the stagecoach. 3. Narrow down your choice of words. 4. Count the syllables to follow the 5-7-5 syllable pattern. 5. Illustrate your haiku with a drawing.

Example:

Dust swelling around Sitting and Jostling inside Finally, Portland

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Stagecoach Advertisement, 1867 Look at the advertisement on the next page to answer the following questions. 1. What symbol is used in this advertisement? 2. What is the date on the advertisement? 3. How many towns did the stagecoach stop in? Using a modern day map, locate

as many of these stops as you can. 4. Who might read this advertisement? 5. How long did it take to travel from Portland to Sacramento? 6. How much did it cost to travel from Portland to Sacramento? 7. How did the advertisement persuade you that riding the stagecoach was the best

way to travel?

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STEP 1: Sand rough wood.Paint if desired.

STEP 2: Glue the fingernailfile between two of the small

blocks of wood. The pointedend should overhang about

3⁄4

inch.Repeat for second file. Set

aside.STEP 3: Attach the 1-inch nails

to each 8-inch board about 1inch from the outer side’s cen-ter. The nail should stick outabout

1⁄2 inch.

STEP 4: Tape the batteries tothe boards with electrical tape.They should be diagonal fromeach other on the boards’inner sides.

STEP 5: Attach the buzzers.They should be on the oppo-site sides of the batteries to-ward the center.

STEP 6: Attach alligator clipsto the red and black wirescoming out of the buzzer. Thered clip attaches to the redwire (the positive charge),while the black clip goes withthe black wire (negative).

To attach: Remove the insu-lated cover from the clip’s han-dle. Thread the bare wire (itshould already be stripped)through the cover, throughthe handle and around thescrew. Tighten the screw andslide the cover back into place.

These will be your No. 1wires.

STEP 7: Decide on the dis-tance between the telegraphsets and cut four pieces of wirethat length. Use wire strippersto remove about

1⁄2 inch of in-

sulation from the ends.STEP 8: Attach lamp bases

next to the inside corners ofthe boards, opposite the bat-teries.

STEP 9: Attach two wires to

the outside screws of the lampbases. Fasten the red alligatorclips to the ends of the wires.These will be your No. 2wires.

STEP 10: Attach two wires tothe inside screws of the lampbases, and fasten the black al-ligator clips to the ends. Thesewill be your No. 3 wires.

STEP 11: Cut two 8- to 10-inchwires and strip the insulationfrom the ends. Wrap one endof one wire around each nail,and secure with electricaltape. Attach a black alligatorclip to the other end and clipto the negative (-) battery ter-minal.

These will be your No. 4wires.

STEP 12: Glue the block-and-nail-files to the center of eachboard so that the round end ofthe file is above the nail.F

—Kathy Walsh Deady

What’s TheBuzz?

What’s TheBuzz?Send secret messages with aTELEGRAPH you make yourself.Send secret messages with aTELEGRAPH you make yourself.

In 1837, Samuel Morse invented atelegraph, a way to send electrical

signals through wire over long dis-tances. He used a system of dots anddashes, known as Morse code, torepresent letters.

Now you can also use Morse codewith a telegraph you build yourself.Here’s how:

YOU’LL NEED:� (2) 8-inch-square pieces of wood,about 1 inch thick� (4) 1-inch-square blocks of wood,about 3⁄4 inch thick� sandpaper� paint (optional)� (2) metal fingernail files� (2) 9-volt batteries� bell wire (60- to 100-foot package)� (10) 2 1⁄4-inch alligator clips (6 black,4 red)� (2) holders for miniature threadedlight bulbs� (2) 7.5- to 9-volt bulbs� (2) 12-volt buzzers� (2) 1-inch nails� white glue� electrical tape� wire strippers or paring knife� small hammer� small screwdriver(Note: Items that aren’t lying aroundyour house can be found at hardware orelectronics stores.)

USING YOUR TELEGRAPHSTEP A: Connect Set 1 to Set 2.

Clip the red buzzer wire to theoutside screw on the lamp base.Clip the No. 2 wire (with the redalligator clip) to the positive (+)battery terminal.

STEP B: Clip the black buzzerwire to the inside screw on thelamp base. Clip the No. 3 wire(with the black clip) to the point-ed end of the nail file.

STEP C: Repeat these steps toconnect Set 2 to Set 1.

Jim F

razi

er (2

)

Courtesy of BOYS’ LIFE magazine A WWW.BOYSLIFE.ORG

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Using Morse Code On May 24, 1844, Samuel F .B. Morse sent the first telegraph

message through a wire between Baltimore and Washington, DC. This marked the beginning of communication as we know it today. The telegraph itself works using a very simple electronic circuit; the difficulty came in the construction of the wires needed to transport the signal. After the discovery of gold in California and the need for fast, long distance communication, a transcontinental telegraph line was completed in 1861.

International Morse Code A • — N — • B — • • • O — — — C — • — • P • — — • D — • • Q — — • — E • R • — • F • • — • S • • • G — — • T — H • • • • U • • — I • • V • • • — J • — — — W • — — K — • — X — • • — L • — • • Y — • — — M — — Z — — • •

Can you decode this message? The / divides the letters.

— • — • / • — • • / • • / — — / — • • • ____________________________________

• — / — • • • / — — — / • — / • — • / — • • / —/• • • • / •

___________________________________________________________ • • • / — / • — / — — • / • / — • — • / — — — / • —/ — • — • / • • • • _______________________________________________________________ Write your own message in Morse code below. _____________________________________________________________

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Vocabulary List Argonaut gold seekers of 1848-49 were named after the Argo, the ship on

which Jason sailed in his search from the Golden Fleece, according to Greek mythology

Boot front and back leather containers, resembling the toe of a boot,

which are attached to the body of a stagecoach to hold treasure boxes and luggage

Emigrant a person who has departed from a country to settle elsewhere Eureka Greek for “I have found it!” The word later became

California’s official motto. Express A company that provides the service of receiving and Company delivering mail, parcels and money. Fed Ex and UPS are

examples of present day express companies. Forty-Niners nickname for miners who arrived in California in 1849. Greenback name for paper currency with a green back first issued during

the 1860’s by the United States government. Hydraulic water power used to mine gold by building pressure through the

force of gravity. Morse Code a code consisting of variously spaced dots and dashes or long

and short sounds used for transmitting messages by audible or visual signals.

Nugget a lump of precious metal such as gold. Gold dust is made of

fine particles, not lumps. Panning a method for finding gold by using a metal pan in the water to

separate god from sand and gravel Poke leather bag used to hold gold dust and gold nuggets Pony Express a rapid postal and express system that operated across the West

in 1860-1861 by relays of horses and riders.

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Pyrite a common mineral that consists of iron and sulfur. It has a

brass-yellow color and metallic luster. Pyrite was frequently mistaken for gold and gained the nickname Fool’s Gold.

Rocker wooden box rocked back and forth to separate gold from rock

and dirt; sometimes it is called a cradle because of its resemblance to a baby’s cradle.

Stagecoach a coach or vehicle that travels long distances in segments or

“stages” Staking a Claim the way a gold miner claimed land and water areas that might

contain gold. The claim was marked with wooden or metal stakes and sometimes even with piles of rocks on at least two corners.

Telegraph a system for communication at a distance by electric

transmission over a wire. Thoroughbraces suspension system on the stagecoach. Leather shock absorbers

located underneath a stagecoach to make the ride more comfortable.

Treasure Box wooden container with iron bands and padlock used to hold

bags of gold nuggets and gold dust. Troy name of the unit of measurement used to weigh the four

precious metals: gold, silver, platinum, and palladium; there are 12 Troy ounces in a Troy pound.

Whip name given to a stagecoach driver who used the sound of a

cracking whip to encourage the horses to move. The driver did not hit the horses with the whip.

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Name:_________________________________________Date:______________

Vocabulary Activity Worksheet

Find the word that would best fit the meaning of the following sentences.

1. What you might say when you find your missing sneaker____________________ 2. Where you would put the luggage in the car_______________________________ 3. A tool miners used during the Gold Rush to separate gold from dirt___________ 4.The scientific name for fool’s gold________________________________________ 5. Another name for a stagecoach driver_____________________________________ 6. The first long distance communication____________________________________ 7. What gold was usually transported in_____________________________________ 8. A simple method of mining for gold______________________________________ 9. Another method of mining for gold that uses water_________________________ 10. A mode of transportation used by Wells Fargo____________________________

Now write your own sentences for these words

1. Morse Code_____________________________________________________ 2. Nugget__________________________________________________________ 3. Pony Express_____________________________________________________ 4. Poke____________________________________________________________ 5. Emigrant________________________________________________________

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Post Tour Classroom Activities

* Describe the differences and similarities between a Concord stagecoach and today’s automobile.

* Illustrate a brochure to show gold miners what equipment they would need

and how to use it. * Create the name of a mining camp and describe how it got that name. * Write a letter to a friend back east describing your trip on the stagecoach. * Discuss the services that miners needed in the mining camps. Design a

mining camp and include stores and offices for necessary services. * Try your hand at Western art by creating an illustration of a scene you would

find in Oregon during the 1870’s. * List three ways Oregon changed as a result of the Gold Rush. * Write a convincing argument that explains why going to California to search

for gold is a good idea. * Write a story of Oregon, stagecoaches, mining for gold or being a Wells Fargo Messenger, and draw an illustration to accompany it.

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Children’s Books of Interest

Picture books

• Charlie Drives the Stage by Eric Kimmel (Glen Rounds illustrated). This is a fictional story of a female stagecoach driver, probably based on Charlie Parkhurst.

• Nine to California by Sonia Levitin. Amanda travels by stagecoach from Missouri to California with her four siblings and mother to join her father.

Fiction

• Jo and the Bandit by Willo Davis Roberts. En route to stay with her uncle in Texas in the late 1860s, twelve-year-old Jo experiences a stagecoach robbery and becomes involved with a reluctant young outlaw aiming to change his ways.

• By the Great Horn Spoon! by Sid Fleishman. Jack and his aunt's butler stow away aboard a ship bound for California and the promise of gold.

• Seeds of Hope by Kristiana Gregory. A fictional diary account of fourteen-year-old Susanna Fairchild's life in 1849, when her father succumbs to gold fever on the way to establish his medical practice in Oregon after losing his wife and money on their steamship journey from New York.

• The Journal of Wong Ming-Chung by Laurence Yep. A young Chinese boy nicknamed Runt records his experiences in a journal as he travels from southern China to California in 1852 to join his uncle during the Gold Rush.

Nonfiction

• Outrageous Women of the American Frontier by Mary Rodd Furbee. Includes Charlie Parkhurst (p. 62-67)

• Stagecoach: the Ride of the Century by Richard Mansir. Includes diary excerpts from children.