James W. Marshall

gold rush · California history · discovery

Carpenter and builder. James Marshall was working as a carpenter for Johann Sutter when he was hired to build a sawmill on the American River near Coloma, California.

Found the gold. On January 24, 1848, Marshall discovered shiny flakes of gold in the mill's water channel, making one of the most famous discoveries in American history.

Started the rush. News of Marshall's find spread quickly, and soon thousands of people rushed to California hoping to find gold and get rich, which became known as the California Gold Rush.

Never got rich. Even though Marshall found the gold, he and his boss Sutter never actually made money from it because the gold seekers' attention moved away from the sawmill work.