California Gold Rush

Began after the discovery of gold in the tailrace of John Sutter’s mill near the junction of the American and Sacramento rivers in January 1848. Prospectors quickly tracked the gold back to other streams coming down from the High Sierras, identifying a belt of gold-bearing rock over 100 miles long and up to two miles wide.

The ensuing gold rush, as over 100,000 diggers made their way from all over the world to California, proved a great stimulant in the opening up of the American West. Although output peaked at 93 tonnes (3 m oz) in 1853, when the most accessible alluvial deposits had been worked out, even today several thousand prospectors scour the American and Sacramento rivers each year, finding small amounts of gold dust and nuggets.