James W. Marshall
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James Wilson Marshall 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 mil
James Marshall, 1884
The James W. Marshall House, former residence of Marshall family in Lambertville, New Jersey
The caption with this photo at the Library of Congress claims that this was Marshall in front of the mill in 1850. However, it was not. The historians at Marshall Gold State Historic Park have concluded that it is not Marshall and believe it to be the photographer's assistant put in the photo to show scale.
The spot where Marshall first discovered the gold that started the California Gold Rush
John Sutter
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John Augustus Sutter, born Johann August Sutter and known in Spanish as Don Juan Sutter, was a Swiss immigrant who became a Mexican and later an American citizen, known for establishing Sutter's Fort
James W. Marshall
…the American River about 36 miles northeast of Sacramento. His discovery was the impetus for the California gold rush. The mill property was owned by Johann (John) Sutter who employed Marshall to build his mill. The wave of gold seekers turned everyone's attention away from the mill which eventually fell into disrepair…
Sutter's birthplace in Kandern, Germany
Portrait of John Sutter by Frank Buchser, painted in 1866.
Contemporaneous illustration of Sutter's Fort