January 24, 1848

A pea-sized gold nugget was unearthed at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California on January 24, 1848. Although the news did spread, Sam Brannan, a San Francisco newspaperman, is credited with starting the actual rush on May 12 when he walked the streets of San Francisco holding up a quinine bottle filled with gold nuggets and shouting, “Gold, gold, gold, from the American River.” Within three days, a third of the city’s 600 men were on their way to Sutter’s Mill. By mid-June, Brannan’s newspaper had to suspend publication because his entire staff had run off to gold country.

The Gold Rush
“Although the gold in the California hills eventually ran out - the impact of the Gold Rush era lives on. California was shaped by the adventurers who stayed - to form the idea that is California today: a place that accepts and nurtures risk takers.” The best nuggets on this PBS site (created as a companion to its television documentary) can be found in the About the Gold Rush section. And don’t miss the “amazing, weird, gross” Fun Facts. Would you pay $100 for a glass of water?

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[tags]pbs,california gold rush,gold nugget,miner 49er,sutter’s mill[/tags]