Gold Rush – Jackie Burrell, Writer

May 4, 2026

Decluttering a covered wagon, Marie Kondo style

Do time travelers suffer jet lag? I’ve spent entirely too much time in the 19th century lately, plunging down research rabbit holes and popping back up all dazed and desynchronized. I’ve never been much of a souvenir collector, but I don’t know what else to call the bits and bobs banging around my brain after…

Mining Gold Rush era slang

I’m deep into old words these days — Gold Rush and Victorian-era slang, 19th century dictionaries and troves of etymology treasure. I lost an entire afternoon to Merriam-Webster’s fantastic Time Traveler the other day. It sorts words by the first year they were used in print, whether it’s 1613 (alimony, dungaree) or 2025 (vibe coding).…

This 19th century iron foundry runs on water

I’ve long been obsessed with the 19th century’s western frontier, from the breathtakingly hardy (and on occasion foolhardy) pioneers who trekked the Oregon Trail to the Gold Country towns of the California foothills. Take Sutter Creek, for example, a tiny Gold Rush-era town that offers great little restaurants, charming B&Bs, wine tasting rooms and a…