Samantha, Jake, Lander, Urijah, and Grace stand at the monument that marks the site of John Sutter's original mill and the place that sparked the entire California gold rush.
The visitor's center told the following story:
July 31, 1846
Aboard the ship, Brooklyn, 200 Mormon colonists lead by Sam Brannan arrive in Yerba Buena (San Francisco). This is one of three Mormon groups to come to California in the 1840's and 50's. With their large presence in the state Mormons will play an important part in many aspects of the Gold Rush.
August 28, 1847
James Marshall with a group of Indians and Mormons sets out from Sutter's Fort, Sacramento to Coloma to begin work on the sawmill. Over the 45 mile trip, they carry their tools and supplies in an ox cart and drive a flock of sheep for food.
January 1848
By now work on the sawmill was in full swing. The millworkers included former members of the Mormon Battalion, Indian laborers from Sutter's Fort, and Peter Wimmer with his wife, Jennie, who was the camp cook and their children.
The story continues with Marshall finding a sparkly rock as he inspected the mill. He reported taking it to Jennie Wimmer because she was the only person in the area who had seen gold in its natural state. She immediately recognized that it was gold, but was not believed, so she soaked the gold in lye overnight. She told the men that if it was gold, it would be there in the morning. It was, but they were still hesitant to believe her. Marshall then took the nugget to Sutter's Fort to have it officially tested. He later gave Jennie the original gold nugget as a thank you.
And the rest it history. Or is it? An article in an unidentified newspaper said the following about Dixie's (distant) relative, John Wimmer:
Boy Declared Finder at First Coast Gold
Danville, Cal. (UP) George Van Gordon, 90-year-old rancher and horse breeder, arises to say John Marhsll was not the first person to discover gold in California.
"It was a 10-year-old boy, John Wimmer," recalled Van Gordon. "His father worked for General John A. Sutter at Coloma. John gave the nugget he found to his father who gave it to John Marshall, who gave it to Mrs. Wimmer, and she boiled it in the soap kettle. I've heard the Wimmers tell this story many times."
Van Gordon perhaps knows. He came to California in 1846, remembers how everyone abandoned work and rushed to the gold fields. He remembers Lola Montez, the dancer; Joquin Murietta, most vengeful and dashing of American bandits, and the vigilantes.
Who will ever know? We surely won't, but it makes for a fun family story.
Lander eagerly looks for gold in the American River at the exact site of the old mill
Samantha, Lander and Grace walk along a trail next to the infamous site
Jake, Grace and Lander pan for gold at as part of a demonstration set up by the park
Eureka! Lander strikes gold and places it in a test tube.
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