The Empire County argus., 1855-12-29
pIscovERY OF GOLD AT CoLoMA.


discovery of gold in this town in 1S47. In any
other country than the United States the discover
ers would have been literally rewarded but in
stead of this, attempts are now made to rob the
pioneers of the little credit they have hitherto en-
joyed of being the first to bring the treasures Of
California to the notice of the world. We propose
to give few facts in relation to the discovery Of
gold in this town. derived from eye witnesses, and
the concurrent testimony of others on the spot at
the time.
That James w Marshall picked up the first piece
of gold is beyond doubt Peter L. WINNER, who
resides in this place, states positively that Mr.
Marshall picked up the gold in his presence; they
both saw it and each spoke at the same time,
whats that yellow stuff" Marshall being q
step in advance, picked it up. This first piece of
gold is now in the possession of Mrs. WINNER, and
weighs six pennyweights IL grains. The piece
was given to her by Marshall himself as can be
fully verified any day. To Marshall and WINNER
should be awarded the credit of first discovering it..
Mr. Marshall is native of New Jersey. He
emigrated from Platt county, Missouri, to Oregon,
in 1914, and from Oregon to California, in 1915.
Mr. NJ enlisted under the Bear flag and
served under it. Peter L. WINNER is native of
Ohio, emigrated to Missouri in 1910, married Mrs
Elizabeth Jane Bays in 1913, crossed the Plains to
California, arriving at Suffers Fort Nov. l6, 1916
The next day after his arrival at the Fort Mr.. W.
started with team and cannon to join Fremont,
and was in the service upwards of four months
Mr.. w. has now family of ten children living
oh; Calf bo,,
August Cd, 1913.
Returning to Suffers Fort from his expedition to
the south, Capt Sutter and Marshall soon after de-
termined to erect saw-mill to cut lumber for fem
cling. On the 25th of August, 1847 Marshall,
WINNER wife and children, and William Barger
with team, left the Fort for the mountains and
arrived at Coloma, August %. They began work
Immediately. Mrs. W., assisted by Martin and
Sarah her chiden, done the cooking for the party
and employed her leisure time in making shirts for
the Indians. During the progress of the work,
William Scott, now of Coloma, Alexander Stevens,
of Salt Lake, James Brown and Henry Biglcr, were
employed on the mill, and William Johnson, and
John M. WINNER employed as teamsers. Messrs.
Marshall and Peter l.. WINNER superintended the
generally.
Having but few tools and laboring under every
disadvantage imaginable, the work on the mill pro-
gressed slowly. On Christmas day, 1847, no work
was done. The party ascended the high peak on
the north side Of the river and opposite the pres
ent town. Henry Bigler being Mormon minister
made prayer; the party sang hymn, and then
Nv Cd Cbr;, Al e,.4
mon ever delivered in El Dorado a sermon on the
mount, in fact
The dam was finished early in January the
frame for the mill also erected and the hume and
bulkhead completed. 1t was at this time that
Marshall and WINNER adopted the plan of raising
the gate during the night to wash out sand from
the mill race closing it during the day when work
would be continued with shovels &c.
Early in February, the exact day is not remem-
bered, in the morning after shutting off the water
Marshall and WINNER walked down the race to-
gether to see what the water had accomplished
during the night. Having gone about twenty
yards below the mill, they both saw the piece of
gold before mentioned, and Marshall picked it up
After an examination. the gold was taken to the
it in saleratus water but she being engaged in
making soap pitched the piece into the soap kettle
where it was boiled all day and night. The fol-
lowing morning the strange piece Of stuff was
fshcd out of the soap, all the brighter for the boil
ing it had had. Discussion now commenced, and
all expressed the opinion that perhaps the yellow
substance might be gold Little was said on the
subject, but every one each morning searched in
the race for more and every day found several small
scales. The Indians also picked up many small
thin pieces and carried them always to Mrs VIM
mer. About three weeks after the first piece was
obtained, Marshall took the fine gold, amounting to
between two and three ounces and went below to
have the strange metal tested. On his return he
informed WINNER that the stuff was gold All
hands now began to search for the ''root of all
evil" Shortly after Capt Sutter came to Coloma,
when he and Marshall assembled the Indians and
bought of them large tract of country about Co.
Iona, in exchange for lot Of beads and few cot
ton handkerchefS. They, under color of this Indi-
an ttle required one third of all the gold dug on
their domain, and collected at this rate until the
fall of l848, when mining party from Oregon de-
clined paying ''tithes," as they called it,
During February, 1847, Marshall and WINNER
went down the river to Mormon Island, and there
found scales of gold the rocks Some weeks
later they sent Mr.. Henderson, Sydney Willis,