The Overlooked El Dorado: 5 Astonishing Insights from the North Carolina Gold Rush
The Gold Rush Not Covered in Class
For many, the narrative of American gold starts in 1849 at Sutter’s Mill, California. However, as an industrial archaeologist, I see the true origin of the nation’s mineral wealth much further east. Before the "Forty-Niners" ventured west, North Carolina was the epicenter of American gold production.