Gold Rush
January 24, 1848
The Details of The Gold Rush.
On January 24, 1848 a carpenter originally from New Jersey named James Wilson Marshall. In the American RIver, he found gold flakes at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Spanish, Native American, and American decent were the main people associated with the gold rush. At that time Marshall was building a water powered sawmill, owned by John Sutter. Sutters Mill was placed by the river which contains the gold flakes. John Sutter and James Marshall had to secure their findings and keep the news under the wraps, but unfortunately by Mid-March, the word got out and at least one newspaper was reporting that large quantities of gold were found by Sutters Mill. Thousands of prospective gold miners traveled over the sea or by land to San Fransisco, in search of their own gold. A total of $2 billion worth of gold was removed from this area during the Gold Rush, which peaked its highest in 1852.
Newspaper Reports.
Once the word got out, newspapers spreaded the news of the gold being found near the American River.
Miners Mining For Gold.
People in desperate search of money traveled far distances over sea or by land to find precious metals.
Map Of Gold Rush.
This map of the Gold Rush provides the areas where most gold was founded and the most popular areas.