yessshhh its very interesting

I remember learning about the west in school. Gold Rush was very interesting.

I am a Daughter Of The Golden West....That means I am born and raised in the Golden State out West....
What brought most people out West was the thought of "GOLD"...or the Great Gold Rush...followed by the Railroads and then Fame and Fortune!!
There were local Indians and Mexico ruled much of the area....
The Western Miners came West when John Sutter built Sutters Fort and discovered Gold in Coloma at Sutters Mill in Northern California....
You can visit these historic sites today and ride along the 49er Highway and see many old Ghost Towns and where they hung outlaws...
Eggs and Oysters were the most expensive...and there were few women who made the treck by covered wagon over the snow covered Sierras where many like the Donner Party lost their lives.

Much of the Western tale has been romaticized by Hollywood and the Movies...
There were outlaws and it was a new area that was settled with those of all nationalities and ethnicities....
The Welsh worked in the mines....the Chinese built the Railroad and were into medicine and cooking for the miners and all came from far and wide to find the elusive "GOLD" vein....

This is Sutters Fort and Mill....you can visit the area today it is great to live out west and study the history all around us!

Discovery of Gold

Sutter contracted James W. Marshall in 1847 to build a sawmill on the south fork of the American River about 50 miles east of the fort, now present day Coloma.

On January 24, 1848 Marshall was trying to deepen the tailrace of the mill and accidentally discovered gold. Sutter tried to keep the discovery a secret and swore his men to secrecy until the mill was finished. To support the mill, Sutter built a 50 mile long road to the mill along the banks of the American River.

On a supply run to the fort, one of the children exclaimed they had found gold. The news was leaked and soon thousands seeking gold came to California to search for their fortune.



This photo at the Fort reminds me of our Western Merchantile ...where is Mr.Smith and his adding machine....