Alex finds the gold at the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington DC

Описание: Alex is our intern for just a couple more weeks but that’s not stopping him from traveling around the United States! This past weekend, Alex visited Washington DC to see museums and historic sites, including the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, which has a very important item on display of Sacramento history.

Gold was found by James Marshall, the head carpenter constructing John Sutter’s sawmill on January 24, 1848. The sawmill was located roughly 45 miles from present-day Sacramento in “Cullumah,” the name given by the Yalesumney Nisenan village that inhabited the region. As the story goes, James Wilson Marshall, the foreman overseeing the construction of the sawmill, inspected the tail race that diverted water from the south fork of the American River to the mill to see if the water wheel that powered the saw was working properly. Rumor has it that Marshall found three small pieces of gold at the water wheel.

The gold Marshall found that day was later given to the United States military and sent back to Washington DC for true confirmation. That gold today is on display in the Smithsonian Museum of American History.

On December 5, 1848, in his fourth annual message to Congress, President James K. Polk confirmed that gold had been discovered in California. Newspapers on the east coast had published of the gold discovery on the American River since the summer, but the rumors now had confirmation from the president. This lead to the world rushing in for what was the largest migration in human history, up to this point, the California Gold Rush. If you are ever in Washington DC, make sure see the gold nugget at the National Museum of American History!

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