It was a typical day for James Marshall. Then, he saw a sparkle out of the corner of his eye. At that moment his life changed! This was the beginning of the California gold rush.
Finding gold
James Marshall is the founder of the historical gold mine. This gold mine was found in 1848, located in Sutter’s Mill discovered in the American River. At this time, James Marshall was working. He was digging a trench in the mill race when he started to find solid pieces of tinge in the river. “This is not fool’s gold,” he thought. He got straight on his horse and headed to Sutter’s Fort. According to Walter Havighurst, Sutter’s fort was approximately 50 miles away. That moment it would take him a while to get there.
Real! It’s Real!
At last, he arrived at Sutter’s Fort. He went to John Sutter. Sutter tested this piece of tinge with acid to see if it was gold. Turns out, It was real gold! This had to be a secret between James Marshall and John Sutter. But, how long could this gold mine remain a secret?
Riding West
Only James Marshall and John Sutter knew about this life changing secret. But could it stay a secret for as long as they wanted it to? The answer is no. Sam Brannon found out about the gold mine. Sam Brannon spread the word to other states. As more miners started to hear about this gold mine, they started to leave their homes and head west to California right away. Miners were very disappointed to see that there was no gold just laying around on the ground like some people said there was.
As you can see, the California gold rush was a very big moment in the history of the United States. Things have changed since then. Gold to them was a shiny solid piece of tinge. Here is something to think about. What does gold mean to you?