California Teacher Credentialing Examination (CSET) Practice Test

The discovery of gold that kicked off the California Gold Rush is credited to James W. Marshall. In January 1848, while working at Sutter's Mill near Coloma, California, Marshall found flakes of gold in the American River. This discovery was significant because it took place at a time when California was still part of Mexico and was on the brink of becoming a U.S. state.

Marshall’s find was pivotal in attracting attention to the region, leading to widespread news and a stampede of prospectors heading to California in search of fortune. Although Sutter had an important role in providing the location and the context for the discovery, it was Marshall's actual finding that sparked the explosive growth of the Gold Rush. The Gold Rush fundamentally changed California's demographic, economic, and social landscape, drawing people from across the nation and the world, which started an unprecedented wave of migration and settlement in California.