How the Gold Rush Began
it was January 24, 1848, when James Wilson Marshall, originally a carpenter from New Jersey, found flakes of gold in the American river near Coloma, California. he had been working for John Sutter at his ranch. He had been hired to build a mill for Sutter. After recalling his historic discovery, he stated, "It made my heart thump, for I was certain it was gold". Trying to keep it secretive, but a this secret was too big to keep. as the rumors circulated, the first men made there ways to the Sawmill. When the men came back with the flakes of gold, everyone left to dig it up. One Mormon named Sam Brannan, had a brilliant idea. he bought all the mining supplies he could find, buckets, pans, heavy clothing, and such. He took a bottle full of gold flakes to San Francisco and waved the bottle of gold over his head shouting, "Gold, gold, gold in the American River!". The effectiveness of this advertisement was portrayed very quickly. One might predict that this caused much attention. The next day the towns newspaper described San Francisco as a "Ghost Town". By mid-June, some three-quarters of the make population of San Francisco had left town for the gold mines, and the number of miners in the area reached 4,000 by August. Sam Brannan was California's first Millionaire, and the rush was on!