Gold Rush Experience

I was so excited when our homeschool group offered a Gold Rush experience field trip. Ellie and I are studying California history this year, so this went perfectly with her studies. I didn't think Josh would enjoy it, so Dennis was able to take the day off and stay with him. Ellie and I drove out to Oak Glen with friends and had a really great day. The weather was great, the mountains beautiful, and the experience was very educational as well as fun.

After getting our instructions, we headed up to begin our search for gold.

The mine and field required payment to get in. Since we didn't have any gold yet, we headed to the "river". (We found out later that patrons were "taxed" upon exiting the mine or field; so unless you lied about your find, you were likely to loose everything. We decided to stick to the river.)

Josh would not have liked the cold water, mud or dirt

We were very lucky, finding three nuggets right away. Since the demand was low, Ellie got a good price for her gold. Later, as more were finding gold, the pay out was lower. This taught the kids about supply and demand.

The kids also had the opportunity to take on odd jobs to earn some cash. Here Ellie and a buddy are collecting water. They could also wash dishes or clothes, sweep or rake leaves.

Checking the sluice for any sign of gold

By day's end, Ellie had $900. We headed to the barn for our miner's rations - some kind of meet (maybe possum), stale bread, moldy cheese and some fairly clean drinking water. Actually, we got a piece of jerky, a slice of good cheese, some very good cornbread, juicy apples and fresh lemonade.

The kids could use their money to participate in the auction. Ellie was outbid on everything, but it was another good lesson in supply and demand. The last item which received the highest group bid was a cup of water!

Great day with my girl!