James William Marshall, a carpenter and sawmill operator, discovered gold while employed by John Sutter to build his intended sawmill. Early on the morning of January 24, 1848 Sutter was examining the channel below the mill and noticed shinny specks.
having some general knowledge of minerals, I could not call to mind more than two which in any way resembled this, very bright and brittle; and gold, bright, yet malleable. I then tried it between two rocks, and found that it could be beaten into a different shape, but not broken. I then collected four or five pieces and went up to Mr. Scott (who was working at the carpenters bench making the mill wheel) with the pieces in my hand and said, "I have found it."
"Gold," I answered. "Oh! no," replied Scott, "That can't be." I said,--"I know it to be nothing else."
Referring to gold, the Greek word "Eureka" meaning "I Found It" (California state motto) is prominently displayed on our beautiful state seal. The discovery of gold bringing thousands of people to this rich territory is significantly referenced within the seal; a miner using a pick, a gold pan and a rocker box. Symbolizing California's commercial greatness, the ships in the Sacramento River are pictured with pride. During the time that the seal was created all items, mining supplies, letters, household items and even gold were all carried in and out by ship. Many who came to California found the agricultural wealth to be more profitable than the gold rush, which the sheaf of grain represents in the foreground of the seal. The Grizzly Bear, California's state animal, represents strength and independence, represented both on our state seal and state flag. The State Seal was adopted before California officially became a state in September of 1850. Near the upper rounded edge there are 31 stars, representing the anticipation of California becoming the 31st state. The State Flag The Bear Flag was first raised on June 14, 1846, at Sonoma by a group of American settlers revolting against the rule of Mexico. The original flag was painted by William Todd, a photograph copy pictured top left of this web page. According to the California Blue Book: Pioneer John Bidwell recorded many of the events surrounding the "Bear Flag Revolt" and about the raising of the Bear Flag he wrote, "Another man left at Sonoma was William L. Todd who painted, on a piece of brown cotton, a yard and a half or so in length, with old red or brown paint that he happened to find, what he intended to be a representation of a grizzly bear. This was raised to the top of the staff, some seventy feet from the ground. Native Californians looking up at it were heard to say ‘Coche’ the common name among them for pig or shoat." Unfortunately, the original Bear Flag, held by the Society of California Pioneers perished in the Great Earthquake and Fire of 1906. The current California State Flag, adopted by the state legislature in 1911, is based on the original Bear Flag raised by pioneering Americans over Sonoma in 1846. The star was taken from the lone star of Texas. The Bear was representative of the numerous Grizzly Bears in the state and the words "California Republic" testify to the feisty American pioneers who settled in the territory. Today the identity of the animal depicted on the flag is not likely to be mistaken for a "coche." State Gold Rush Ghost Town Bodie was designated as the official California State Gold Rush ghost town in 2002. In 1962 it was named a National Historic Site and a California State Historic Park. It once housed a population of 10,000, but now it is preserved in a state of arrested decay. What was left of the town’s buildings and contents remains as they did after the last resident departed. Bodie is located northeast of Yosemite about 13 miles off of Highway 395 on Bodie Road and 7 miles south of Bridgeport. The exact source of the town’s name remains unknown today. It may have been named for gold miner W. S. Body also known as William S. or Waterman S. Body or his name may have been Wakeman S. Bodey. The name Bodie was given to the camp that was near the site where he discovered gold in 1859. It was not until 1877 when gold was discovered in quantity and the population increased that Bodie grew in size from 3,000 up to 10,000 by 1880. The mining boom ended in the early 1880’s and by 1888 about $18,000,000 worth of gold had been mined, but only 3 mines were left from the 40 to 50 that had existed during the boom years. Source: California State Library State Silver Rush Ghost Town Calico, located near Barstow in San Bernardino county, was designated the official California State Silver Rush Ghost town in 2005. Prior to its present status it had been designated State Historic Landmark number 782. The town of Calico was founded near the site of a major silver strike in 1881 and at the height of its glory claimed over 20 saloons and hundreds of nearby mines. The exact value of silver that was mined is estimated to have been between $13,000,000 and $20,000,000 by the end of the boom years. In the mid-1890’s the price of an ounce of silver dropped over half in value from what it had been in 1880. This event caused a loss of demand for silver and by the early 1900’s Calico had become a deserted ghost town. Calico was acquired in the 1950’s by Walter Knott, owner of Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. He preserved what was left of Calico and constructed other buildings to recreate Calico’s past to serve as a tourist attraction. Mr. Knott donated Calico Ghost Town to the County of San Bernardino in 1966, and today it is part of a 480-acre County Regional Park. Source: California State Library State Mineral As one might expect, gold is the official state mineral and was so designated in 1965. In the four years following the discovery of gold by James Marshall in January of 1848, California's population swelled from 14,000 to 250,000 people. Miners came from all over the world and extracted 28,280,711 fine ounces of gold from 1850-1859 Source: California State Library State Nickname "The Golden State" has long been a popular designation for California and was made the official State Nickname in 1968. It is particularly appropriate since California's modern development can be traced back to the discovery of gold in 1848 and fields of golden poppies can be seen each spring throughout the state. Source: California State Library |
EUREKA!!
| James William Marshall First Discovered Gold in California January 24, 1848 |
| Photo of the original version of the state flag painted by William Todd |
| CALIFORNIA ~ THE GOLDEN STATE |
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