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James Wilson Marshall (October 8, 1810 – August 10, 1885) was an American carpenter and sawmill operator, who on January 24, 1848, reported the finding of gold at Coloma, California, a small settlement on the American River about 36 miles northeast of Sacramento.
- October 10th, 1810, Hopewell Township, New Jersey
- August 5th, 1885, Kelsey, California
James Marshall’s discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill in California in 1848 started the California Gold Rush. Born in 1810, Marshall followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming a skilled carpenter and wheelwright.
The California gold rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the United States and abroad.
- January 24, 1848–1855
- 300,000 prospectors
Apr 6, 2010 · On January 24, 1848, James Wilson Marshall, a carpenter originally from New Jersey, found flakes of gold in the American River at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains near Coloma,...
- Missy Sullivan
- 3 min
- James Marshall, 1848. At a time when restless Americans were already itching to go west, the discovery of gold in California in 1848 was like gasoline on a fire. Within a year of its discovery, emigrants using the California Trail were flooding into the Sierra Nevada Range by the thousands.
Feb 14, 2024 · The California Gold Rush started when James W. Marshall found gold at Sutter’s Mill on January 24, 1848. While working on a water-powered sawmill for John Sutter, Marshall found gold nuggets in a pool of water, leading to the news of the gold discovery spreading rapidly.
Induction Year. 1991. Inductee Number. 85. James Marshall, an itinerant carpenter, discovered gold in California, launching the largest mining rush in American history. Marshall arrived in California in 1845, settling at Sutter’s Fort in New Helvetia (now Sacramento).
