Ask someone of the first mineral they think of when they hear “California” and most people will say, without hesitation, GOLD! When people think of California’s history, they think of the great gold rush of 1849.
In January of 1848, James Marshall discovered gold on the American River at Sutter’s Sawmill. Word spread of this discovery very quickly. Soon after Marshall’s discovery, General John Bidwell discovered gold in the Feather River; a Major Pearson B. Reading then found gold in the Trinity River. By 1849, thousands of people from all over the world rushed to California hoping to discover their own gold and become extremely rich. Some of these “Miner 49ers” were very successful. Most were not. |
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