Colorado or Bust!

Congratulations!

You have had a successful journey into the gold rush of Colorado.

You created a detailed map that you hoped would lead you to gold.

You encouraged others to join you on your adventure by telling a friend all about the wild frontier and its endless possibilities.

You searched for gold, and might have even found some. If you did, you were able to buy some much-needed supplies and maybe help out a fellow pioneer. If you didn't strike it rich, you learned several valuable lessons about economics and society.

You decided whether you wanted to continue to search for gold, go back home, or find a place to stay and a job in Colorado.

Here are some extra exercises that are not required, but might help you conclude your experience:

1. Now you have some idea of what pioneers in 1859 experienced when the real gold rush occurred. It was likely exciting, dangerous, depressing, and exhilarating, all at the same time. Have you ever experienced something that gave you conflicting feelings? If you have, why do you think there was more than one feeling involved? If you haven't, what kind of experience might give you conflicting feelings? In your journal, write about your experience or your imagined one.

2. The next major event in Colorado occurs in 1861. Use your Internet skills to find out what happened in that year. Think about whether or not the gold rush had an impact on that event.

3. The year is 2011. Someone decides to explore one of the old, defunct mines that are in the mountains of Colorado. He discovers gold! Would or could another gold rush happen today?