Local History Challenge

The year is 1898. Over the last decade, North America has been ground down by a depression. Wages are low, jobs are scarce and people are getting desperate. Although Aunt Rachel isn't happy about 13-year-old Tim and his older brother, Roy, heading off to the Klondike Gold Rush, the possibility of striking it rich is hard to resist. Tim and Roy begin their trek to the Yukon filled with excitement. Little do they suspect the harsh realities they'll have to face: blinding snowstorms, raging rapids, backbreaking work and bitter disappointment. In this unique book, each chapter is followed with factual information, illustrations and photographs of the people and places of the time. In addition, easy-to-do activities help bring the historical period to life.

In 1848, gold was discovered in California, attracting over 300,000 people from all over the world, some who struck it rich and many more who didn't. Hear the stories about the gold-seeking "forty-niners!" With black-and white illustrations and sixteen pages of photos, a nugget from history is brought to life!

About the Series Action-packed and meticulously researched, with specially-commissioned illustration, detailed reconstructions and original artwork from each period, reading lists, and resources for further study, this series is an immersive introduction to the history that shaped America. In 1848, carpenter James Marshall made a chance discovery that would change the face of the American West. That discovery: a few shiny flakes-of gold in a riverbed he was digging. Within a year 800,000 gold-seekers from all over the world were on their way to California, and the Gold Rush was on. This book covers the entire period of the boom-and-bust of one of the greatest expansion periods in US history-from the dangers of the journey, to the rough and tumble of the mining settlements, theday-to-day life of a miner and those who provided services to him, the easy-come-easy-go fortunes won and lost, and the Boomtowns that turned to Ghost Towns when the rush was over. Packed with period photographs, original artifacts, illustrations of daily life in the mining towns, and plenty of historical detail, this book will capture the imagination of young readers who love the idea of striking it rich.