![The 49ers and the California Gold Rush](/e69yszg/752.jpg)
The 49ers and the California Gold Rush
James Marshall and Sutter's Mill. The discovery of gold is attributed to James Marshall, who found flakes of gold in the American River while working for John Sutter at his ranch in northern California on January 24, 1848. Sutter was a pioneer who founded a colony he called Nueva Helvetia or New Switzerland.