Washington Irving's short story The Adventure of Sam, the Black Fisherman tells a story of adventure, treasure hunts, and ghosts. The stories of Sam finding a treasure lure many people on the road to go treasure-hunting in Denver. However, they all fail. Walter Calvert is one of them. He meets with ghosts every time he hunts, and finally almost dies. Fortunately, the dying person is recovered, and his gold dream comes true. The plot twists and turns, full of fantasies, and the Nuggets' greedy faces are inadvertently portrayed before the readers.

华盛顿·欧文的短篇小说《黑人渔夫萨姆历险记》讲述了关于历险、寻宝、鬼魂的故事。萨姆发现藏宝地的事迹让许多掘金人走上探宝之路，但都铩羽而归。沃尔弗特是其中一员，他两番寻宝都跟鬼魂碰了个正着，最后险些丧命。所幸天降横财，这垂死之人竟好转，黄金梦也成真。本文情节一波三折，富有奇幻色彩，不经意间刻画了掘金人贪婪的嘴脸。