Rush to gold: the French and the California Gold Rush, 1848-1854

France in 1848: Another world turned upside down

News of California gold discoveries spreads across France

The French respond to the California gold discoveries: Adventure, new beginnings, and trade

The rise of the French California Companies

The rush to gold: Obstacles, preparations, and departures

Voyages and arrivals

In the mines: Living and working in a masculine community

The flowering of the new California companies

The lottery of the ingots

French stories and French images of California

The French trade, mine, and reflect

The French Argonauts encounter the Americans

The last French Argonauts

The French Argonauts return to France: The close of the California adventure

The long echoes of the French "rush to gold" in California

The balance sheet.