In the following essay, Johnson focuses on the Southern Mines of California, suggesting that because of such factors as the ethnic diversity of the region and its “unruly history” (which did not coincide with typical American tales of success), the Southern Mines have been virtually forgotten by twentieth-century society.

In the following essay, Stoneley focuses on the theme of male-male relationships in the works of Bret Harte and Mark Twain, illustrating how these gold rush writers reflected the changing nature of homosocial ties in the American West during the mid- to late-nineteenth century.

In the following essay, Morrow details the birth and growth of the Western local color movement, emphasizing the contributions of such figures as Bret Harte and Mark Twain.

In the following essay, Reynolds presents an overview of the literature of the gold rush era in California, offering a detailed history of the period and examining how the literature reflected the times.

In the following essay, Rosenberg focuses on gold rush lore, describing three of the most common types of legends: those revolving around the lone prospector, those chronicling the birth and death of boom towns, and those emphasizing the “lost mine.”

In the following essay, Mann argues that writings about both Hispanic California and gold rush California utilize three types of imagery: wilderness, paradisiacal, and pastoral.

In the following excerpt, Berkove and Kowalewski survey the work of writers John Rollin Ridge, Alonzo Delano, Louise Amelia Knapp Smith Clappe, and George Horatio Derby, maintaining that these individuals were the first to introduce the California gold rush to the American public and that they paved the way for later literary talents including Mark Twain, Ambrose Bierce, and Bret Harte.

In the following essay, Swingle reviews the portrayal of the California gold rush in early fiction, chronicling U.S. as well as foreign works.