The California Gold Rush: A Brief History
Few people know that gold was first discovered
in California by the Spanish near Los Angeles
during the latter part of the 18th century, long
before the well-documented discovery at Sutter's
Mill in 1848 that started the California Gold
Rush. The Spanish believed an abundance of gold
could be found in California even before a
thorough exploration of the area had been made,
probably after having made contact with
California's native Indian population. The
Spanish kept their early discoveries quiet,
avoiding the type of rush that would take place
in 1849, after news of the American gold
discovery at Coloma reached the rest of the
nation, nearly a full year after James Marshall
plucked that first nugget from the American
River.
Although gold was found in many areas throughout the state after 1848, the most productive regions were the northern and central portions of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, at lower elevations. While the Sierras themselves are composed of a wide variety of minerals and elements, the rocks that make up their base are primarily granite and quartz. Among the many elements to be found running in veins through these rocks, is a soft and highly valuable metal called gold. Large belts of gold-bearing rock are called lodes, and the belt that stretches along the foothills of the Sierra range from near Georgetown in the north to Mariposa in the south is called the Mother Lode.
The depth at which the Mother Lode lies beneath the surface varies widely throughout its length, but in many places, rivers and streams cut through the veins of gold and carry bits of the precious metal downstream. This gold, ranging in size from tiny flakes to nuggets weighing several pounds, is called placer gold, and was the first gold mined by the California Indians, and later by the 49ers. Because it is extremely heavy for its size, placer gold tends to settle to the bottom of the streams and eventually works its way down to bedrock. For this reason, only the very first miners were able to find gold lying on the surface, and this was quickly exhausted, necessitating the use of digging tools and giving birth to the term "diggin’s."
Although gold was found in many areas throughout the state after 1848, the most productive regions were the northern and central portions of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, at lower elevations. While the Sierras themselves are composed of a wide variety of minerals and elements, the rocks that make up their base are primarily granite and quartz. Among the many elements to be found running in veins through these rocks, is a soft and highly valuable metal called gold. Large belts of gold-bearing rock are called lodes, and the belt that stretches along the foothills of the Sierra range from near Georgetown in the north to Mariposa in the south is called the Mother Lode.
The depth at which the Mother Lode lies beneath the surface varies widely throughout its length, but in many places, rivers and streams cut through the veins of gold and carry bits of the precious metal downstream. This gold, ranging in size from tiny flakes to nuggets weighing several pounds, is called placer gold, and was the first gold mined by the California Indians, and later by the 49ers. Because it is extremely heavy for its size, placer gold tends to settle to the bottom of the streams and eventually works its way down to bedrock. For this reason, only the very first miners were able to find gold lying on the surface, and this was quickly exhausted, necessitating the use of digging tools and giving birth to the term "diggin’s."
