The 190 works presented on this site—approximately 40,000 written pages and more than 3,000 illustrations—provide eyewitness accounts covering California history from the Gold Rush through the end of the 19th century. Most authors represented are white, educated, male Americans, including reporters detailing Gold Rush incidents and visitors from the 1880s attracted to a highly-publicized romantic vision of California life.
The narratives, in the form of diaries, descriptions, guidebooks, and subsequent reminiscences, portray encounters with those living in California as well as the impact of mining, ranching, and agriculture. Additional topics include urban development, the growth of cities, and California's unique place in American culture. A special presentation recounts early California history, and a discussion of the collection's strengths and weaknesses provides useful context for the first-person accounts.
Professors Wlliam M. Newman and Wilfred E. Holton look at how environmental crises and urban crowding led to the massive project for filling Boston's Back Bay tidal marsh in the 19th century. The presentation includes slides.
The lecture audio can be downloaded separately.
Scholar Nancy Seasholes looks at the history of land creation in Boston over its 375-year history. She focuses on the Central Waterfront area. Her presentation includes slides.
An mp3 of the lecture audio can be downloaded.
Historian Nancy S. Seasholes discusses the history of land creation and landfill projects in Boston. She looks at the social forces that led to the demand for new land, including tensions between Irish immigrants and native Bostonians.
Archaeologist Ellen Berkland and curator Elizabeth Carella review the history of Boston Harbor's Rainsford Island since 1636. After a brief overview of recent efforts to manage the island, they review archaeological discoveries pointing to the island's many historical uses, particularly as they relate to Boston's marginalized populations.
Author Mark Kurlansky reviews the history of New York City, using the perspective of the wildlife that once lived in the area as a framing device—particularly that of the eastern oyster.
The lecture audio is available separately for download.
A panel of authors, urban planners, and politicians detail the history of Boston's Charles River Parklands, and discuss its possible future.
Kathryn Kish Sklar of SUNY—Binghamton discusses the rising importance of successful schools in antebellum frontier towns and the feminization of the teaching profession that accompanied the new demand for teachers. Sklar also looks at the impact of the Second Great Awakening on the education of female teachers.
To view this clip, select "Education, Culture, and the Patterns of Frontier Settlement" under "Frontier Settlement Video."
This workshop "will focus on changing transportation and technology in urban America and how these forces shape modern cities and their economies. Guest speakers will include Mark Tebeau, Associate Professor of History at Cleveland State University, and a variety of curators and archivists from the Ohio Historical Society."
"An NCHE team of Elliott West, Ted Green and Susan Dangel will explore the topic of the 19th Century Through WWI: Civil War and Reconstruction, the Urban/Industrial Revolution, America's Rise to World Power at this East Meets West: Traditional American History for New Mexico Teachers colloquium."