Historic Gold- James W. Marshal

In recognition of the Fourth of July holiday, the Cash4Gold blog embarks on its latest Historic Gold segment by remembering one of the most important gold finds in the history of the U.S.

The significance of carpenter James W. Marshal’s first gold find was unparalleled in terms of California’s history. Marshal’s discovery set the stage for the events that turned California into an official state, when his catalyst find created the California gold rush, sending in hundreds of thousands of people to the settlement, resulting in its culture and creation as a state.

Marshal was employed to build a sawmill in the California area by Joan Sutter for the use of lumber production. The construction of the mill was done in Coloma beside the American river. On the morning of January 24, Marshal was examining a channel that ran below the Sutter sawmill and discovered flecks of a shiny material in the channel’s bed. He scooped up only a handful of these flecks and in doing so discovered the first gold of the California Gold Rush.

Photo: The actual river channel where Marshal discovered gold as seen today.

Source and photos: http://www.coloma.com/gold/marshall-park.php