Gold discovery sparked a rush that rapidly swelled California’s population and economy—and brought conflict and disruption.

President James K. Polk, at the end of a year of fantastical rumors of riches in the Sierra Nevada, ignited the California Gold Rush with his State of the Union address on this day in history, Dec. 5, ...

On January 24, 1848, American carpenter and sawmill operator James Wilson Marshall discovered gold in the foothills of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. The discovery‚ facilitated by Native ...

An archaeological dig has discovered the participants during the time of California’s Gold Rush dined on salted Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). The finding, which comes from University of Kansas ...

DATES BACK TO 178 YEARS THIS WEEK, WHEN JAMES MARSHALL FOUND FLECKS OF GOLD ALONG THE SOUTH FORK OF THE AMERICAN RIVER. JANUARY 24TH, 1848. HE'S STANDING DOWN THERE, LOOKS DOWN AT HIS FEET, AND ...

On the morning of Jan. 24, 1848, James Marshall made a discovery that would forever change the trajectory of California. In a creek near the town of Coloma, a remote community wedged in the foothills ...

White American perceptions of California Indians -- Native American reaction to the invasion -- Other Native resistance -- The Gold Rush and Native Americans of Southern California -- Anglo ...