Speaker Date: March 13, 2026

Charlotte’s 1830’s Gold Rush Meets Deadly Gold Rush: Where Fact and Fiction Come Together

Learn how the first US gold rush began, how it became centered in Charlotte, and how it changed Charlotte’s economy. Meet interesting characters who mined gold in Charlotte in the 1830s and see the location of the Rudisill gold mine that produced gold for more than one hundred years. Learn about the history and features of the US Mint in Charlotte and how it became the first art museum in North Carolina. See examples of the gold coins minted at the Charlotte mint. And learn about the mystery of Deadly Gold Rush, and how it was inspired by the city whose streets were said to be paved with gold.

Video Presentation

Landis Wade

Author

BIOGRAPHY

Landis Wade is a recovering trial lawyer turned author who writes mysteries and legal thrillers. His publication credits include six works of fiction, eight non-fiction books, and many short stories. Deadly Declarations, his first novel in the Indie Retirement Mystery series, won ten awards. Deadly Gold Rush, his recent release in that series, has been positively compared by Kirkus Reviews to Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series and by Midwest Book Reviews as “a satisfyingly complex entwining of events and personalities that proves hard to put down.” The Charlotte Writers Club awarded Landis their 2025 Adelia Kimball Founders Award for service to the club and the literary community. Landis splits his time between Charlotte (where he grew up and practiced law), Durham (where his grandson lives), and the North Carolina mountains (where the trout live).