YOU are one of the many fortune seekers during the California Gold Rush in the 1850s. Will you pan for gold, set up a mine, or make your riches by serving the miners who have flocked to the area? Step back in time to face the challenges and decisions that real people faced during this exciting time in history. Matt Doeden is a freelance author and editor from Minnesota. He's written numerous children's books on sports, music, current events, the military, extreme survival, and much more. His books Sandy Koufax (Twenty-First Century Books, 2006) and Tom Brady: Unlikely Champion (Twenty-First Century Books, 2011) were Junior Library Guild selections. Doeden began his career as a sports writer before turning to publishing. He lives in Minnesota with his wife and two children.