COLOMA – Here’s a little nugget of information about the Gold Rush that propelled California from the wilderness to the fifth largest economy in the world.
The waning days of the Mexican-American War led to the discharge of a unit of Mormon Battalion soldiers from New York who had been hanging around Sutter’s Fort handling garrison duty and odd jobs.
No longer needed to serve in the U.S Army and 2,800 miles from home, many of the former Mormon soldiers went to work for John Sutter.
Peace meant Sutter could move ahead with plans to build a town outside his fort that he would christen as Sutterville.
The business plan was to sell lots to settlers expected to start trickling over the Sierra from east of the Mississippi River.
The discharged Mormon soldiers were looking for work just as Sutter’s partner John Marshall returned from a scouting trip where he found an ideal place for a water-powered sawmill close to ample timber to mill lumber to build Sutterville.
The hired Mormons in the summer of 1847 returned with Marshall to the future sawmill site 45 miles slightly to the southeast of the heart of today’s Sacramento.
They finished the sawmill on the south fork of the American River in January of 1848.
The Mormon workers then set about deepening a stream so the millrace would have adequate power.
It was on Jan. 248, 1848 when Marshall went down to the river to inspect progress the workers were making.
As he was walking along the ditch, something shiny caught his eye on the bottom.
He bent down and picked it up.
It was gold.
The first first gold prospectors in California ended up being the Mormon workers who abandoned their jobs to dig along the banks of the American River and its tributaries searching for the precious metal.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
You can find a wealth of history about the site and sawmill project that started it all in Coloma at the state’s gold discovery park.
It’s the place that triggered California’s two-year journey from wilderness to statehood and ballooned San Francisco’s population 2,000 percent in 20 months.
Today it is a quiet wide spot along Highway 49 that winds through the Gold Country from Nevada City in the north to Sonora in the south.
The discovery of gold took California — that today has just a tad less than 40 million residents — from a non-Indian population of 14,000 to 200,000 within two years
Coloma — a little under a two hour drive from Manteca via Highways 99, 50 and 49 or a more pleasant three hour drive taking Highways 120, 108 and 49 through the spine of the Golden Country — is home to the Marshall Gold Discovery Park.
And while Coloma has a multitude of river recreation attractions especially in summer, visiting the El Dorado County community that has a bit more than 300 residents in the Lotus Valley area where it is located, there is something magical this time of year.
Bright and deep greens sweep over the hills thanks to the rainy season in the Sierra foothills within a month or two will turn into the reserve mute greens of oak tree leaves while the grass will turn into golden hues.
The scenery in itself makes it a classic Sunday — or Saturday — drive as you pass through or by historic mining towns such as Jamestown, Sonora, Columbia, Angels Camp, Murphys, Jackson, Sutter Creek, and Ione to name a few.
The longer journey also takes you cross New Melones Reservoir that can hold 2.4 million acre feet of water.
The state park features a replica of the saw mill that started it all as well as more than 20 historic buildings including a school, stores, housing, and mining structures.
Overlooking the park from a hill above is California’s first historic monument. Fittingly, it is a statue of James Marshall pointing toward the gold discovery site below.
A gold discovery tour is offered daily at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. if weather permits.
You can call the museum at 530.622.3470 to verify the 45-minutes tour will take place.
The tours are not offered during special events or on days where the temperature surpasses 95 degrees, The tour cost is $3 per adult and $2 per child.
You can also learn how to pan for gold by taking a 15-minute lesson
Then you can spend the next half hour panning the troughs looking for garnets, fool’s gold, and real gold flakes.
Gold Panning lessons are being offered most days at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3 p.m.
Call 530.622.3470 for availability. Lessons are on a first come first serve basis for the public. For groups call (530) 622-3069 to make a reservation.
The fee is $10 per person.
Gold panning lessons are not available when the temperature is above 100 degrees.
There are two hikes that you can also take.
The Monument Loop Hike is a difficult 1.5 mile walk includes a 250-foot climb. From the alternate start the total length of the loop walk is 1.25 miles.
From the mill site, take the trail marked "Marshall Monument." After crossing the highway, you will pass a large bedrock outcrop behind the picnic area where Nisenan Indian women ground acorns for food. Look for mortar holes in the rock.
After passing the restroom (the alternate start), the trail climbs for about a half mile through forest and chaparral. Please stay on the trail. At the top is James Marshall's Monument, built over the discoverer's grave in 1889.
The return hike brings you down the one-way road (or a short steep trail) past Marshall's Cabin to Church Street. St. John's Church and Emmanuel Church were built in the 1850s and are now historic structures protected by the state park.
On your way down High Street you will pass the Noteware-Thomas House, a restored residence that is sometimes open for tours.
The stone ruins of the old El Dorado County Jail can be seen on Back Street as you return to the Visitor Center.
The Monroe Trail is approximately 2.3 miles long. It connects the Marshall Monument with the North Beach picnic area at opposite ends of Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park.
The southern end of the trail climbs 300 feet; the northern end climbs 400 feet. Nearly 1 mile is on top of a ridge. The entire length of the trail runs through natural areas.
There are Second Saturday events every month from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Docents throughout the park dress in period costumes. They engage visitors in discussions about the 1850s and other various demonstrations.
Attendees are invited to participate in Dutch oven cooking, candle dipping, rope making, period games, and sawmill wood working.
There are also Indian grinding rocks and other points of interest.
There are picnic areas if you chose to pack a lunch.
If not, the small burgs along Highway 49 offer plenty of quant restaurants and cafes or — if you prefer — chain style establishments in and around Jackson and Sonora.
The drive alone is worth it although history buffs and the curious alike will enjoy a leisurely stroll through and to the various state park sites
. This is the place that inspired the phrase “and the world rushed in” given that the gold rush triggered what still stands as the greatest migration in the Western Hemisphere.
As an added note, as of 1995 some 420 million troy ounces of gold has been mined in the United States from 24 different states.
California accounted for 115 million troy ounces followed by Nevada with 87 million troy ounces, and South Dakota with 44 million troy ounces.
At Friday’s market price of $2,733 per ounce, all of the gold taken from the ground and streams of California is worth $32.7 billion in today’s dollars.
Day use hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (8 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Labor Day to Oct. 31, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Match 1 to Friday before Memorial Day Weekend, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Memorial Day Weekend thru Labor Day Weekend.
Day use area fees are $10 per car ($9 per car for seniors 62 and older).
Museum hours and visitors center hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily (10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 1 thru Oct. 31
For more information go to www.parks.ca.gov/marshallgold
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyat@mantecabulletin.com
