‘Gold Fever’ comes to Merced County

A treasure trove of Gold Rush-era images, documents and events comes to the Merced County Courthouse Museum beginning March 17.

“Gold Fever! The Untold Stories of California’s Gold Rush” is a traveling exhibit that will run through May 8 in Merced, museum officials said in a news release.

At the exhibit opening, Merced author and educator Eugene Hart will give a PowerPoint presentation titled “A Gold Seeker on the Merced River in 1849.”

The exhibit examines California before the discovery of gold in the American River, from the frenzied rush to the gold fields, and the experience of vigilante justice, to life in the rowdy gold camps, Gold Rush-era commerce and farming, and the shaping of California’s future.

The exhibition spotlights the remarkable stories of gold seekers who emigrated from all parts of the world during the tumultuous and colorful Gold Rush era, and examines the impact James Marshall’s discovery continues to have on all of California’s people, cultures, environment, politics and economy.

This story was originally published March 4, 2016 at 11:41 AM with the headline "‘Gold Fever’ comes to Merced County."