Historical1848
Gold Discovered at Sutter's Mill
James W. Marshall discovered gold at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California, triggering the California Gold Rush of 1849. The massive migration of hundreds of thousands of people to California accelerated its path to statehood and transformed the American West.
Why It Matters
The Gold Rush dramatically accelerated westward expansion and California's admission as a free state in 1850, intensifying the national debate over slavery that would lead to the Civil War.