Visit Old Oak Ranch Gold Camp (OORGC) and feel what it was like to live in the grip of the most dynamic period in California's history – the Gold Rush! Nestled deep in the foothills of the majestic Sierra Nevada, OORGC brings to life the bygone days of the pioneers and miners that settled our region and helped to change the world! Authentically clad staff help to bridge the gap of one hundred and fifty-five years in an instant and endeavor to immerse young people in the history of this great state.
Plainly stated, learning by doing is our goal at Old Oak Ranch Gold Camp. As time advances and our program grows, we strive to teach history by deed not word. A student will remember the lessons of the Gold Rush or Emigration period when he or she can retrieve the memory of a tangible, physical recollection. This is what excites us as educators. When our students leave camp we want to feel confident that when he or she reads about the exhilaration a miner felt when he found his first flakes of gold, there will be an immediate, free association that the student will feel. He or she will know that kind of excitement having felt it too! It is more than words on a page. History has now come to life.
