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The Coloma Valley lies in the Sierra foothills, in the heart of California's Gold Country. In its center is the South Fork of the American River, made famous in 1848 when California's first gold was discovered in its stream bed at Sutter's Mill. Today this river is also known throughout California for its inviting and exciting whitewater rapids.
Along the river banks lie the quietly beautiful communities of Coloma and Lotus, with their ranches, vineyards, and small-town businesses. Three riverfront parks provide opportunities for family picnics and wading, and Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park brings California's history to life.
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On January 24, 1848, James Marshall discovered gold at the mill he was building for John Sutter in Culluma Valley, later called Coloma.
The Mill Although Sutter's empire was headquartered at Sutter's Fort near the confluence of the Sacramento and American rivers in the Sacramento Valley, his ambition prompted him to enter into a partnership with carpenter James Marshall to build a lumber mill in the foothills so that timber might be sent
down the American River to his river-front property in the valley and be used to build and expand his domain. Marshall selected the valley where the Culluma Indians dwelt.
During the mill's construction, the workers diverted the river each night through the man-made ditch, or tailrace, under the mill to help deepen it. When construction resumed in the morning, the flow would be stopped for the day and the race would be inspected
The Discovery One winter morning, while inspecting the previous night's progress on the tailrace, Marshall noticed some metal glittering in the drained area. Believing that he may have found gold, he tried testing it. One way was by dropping some of it into a big iron kettle where Mrs. Wimmer, the camp cook, was boiling soap. This treatment had no effect on the nuggets, which convinced him it must be gold. Within a few days, he
headed for Sutter's Fort, where he and John Sutter subjected the metal to several acid tests. The conclusion was clear - it was gold!
The Gold Rush Sutter attempted to keep the discovery a secret until he could obtain official title to the area in Culluma Valley. But the news leaked out and spread slowly but relentlessly all over the world, bringing people of all nationalities flocking to the mill site and surrounding areas. By 1849, the California Gold Rush was in full swing.
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