The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1891-02-05
Marshall's Own Account of the Gold
DiscOvorV.

Marshall's Own Account of the Gold
Discovery.
The story of the first discovery of gold in
California has often been told, but the
Century Magazine has revived it and is pub
fishing series of contributions from per-
sons who were on the ground at the time or
Immediately after the discovery. We take
the liberty of reproducing from the maya
zine portion of James w. Marshall's per-
sOnal account of the finding of gold. 1t
will be understood that Marshall was en-
gagged in building mill near Suffers Fort
which was located in the neighborhood of
where Sacramento now stands:
lone morning in January.-it was a clear, cold
morning; shall never forget that morning,-asI
was taking my usual walk along the after
shutting off the water, my eye caught with the
glimpse of something shining in the bottom of the
ditch. There about a foot of water running
then. reached my hand down and picked it up;
1t made my heart thump, for was certain it was
gold. The piece about half the size and Of
the shape of pea. Then saw another piece In
the water. After taking it out sat down and be-.
gan to think right hard. 1 thought it was gold,
and yet it did not seem to be Of the right color
all the gold coin had seen was of a reddish tinge
this looked more like brass. 1 recalled to mind
all the metals had ever seen or heard of, but
could find none that resembled this Suddenly
the idea flashed across my mind that it might be
iron pyrites 1 trembed to think of it! This
question could soon be determined. Putting one
of the peices on hard river stone. took another
and commenced hammering it. 1t was soft. and
did MT break it therefore must be gold but largely
mixed with some other metal, very likely silver;
for pure gold, thought, would certainly have
brighter color.
when returned to our cabin for breakfast L
showed the two pieces to my men. They were all
good deal excited, and had they not thought
that the gold only existed in small quantities they
would have abandoned everything and left me to
finish my job alone. However, to satisfy them, 1
told them that as soon we had the mill finished
we would devote a week or two to gold hunting
and see what we could make out of it.
while we we're working in the after this
discovery always kept a sharp lookout, and in
the course of three or four days we had picked up
about three ounces-our work still progressing as
lively ever. for of imagined at that
time that the whole country sowed with gold.
"In about a weeks time after the discovery
hou ~ Ioh0 ZIP " siAO AolI' " SalA
what information 1 could respecting the real value
of the metal, took all that we had collected with
me and showed it to MIR. Suffer. who at once de-
clared it gold. but thought with that it
was greatly mixed with some other metal. 1t
puzzled good deal to hit upon the means of
telling the exact quantity of gold contained in
the alloy; however, at last stumbled old
American cyclopedia, where the specific
of all the metals and OF Tn ind
the quantity of each in given bulk. After hunt
ing over the whole fort and borrowing from some
of the men. we got three dollars and half in sill
ver and with a small pair of scales we soon eli.
phered it out that there no silver copper
in the gold. but that it was entirely pure.
This fact being ascertained thought it our
best policy to keep it as quiet possible till we
should have finished mill. But there was great
number of isbanded Mormon soldiers in and about
the fort, and when they came to hear of it, why it
just spread like wildfire, and the whole
country was in hustle. had scarcely arrived
at the mill again till several persons appeared
with pans shovels, and hoes, and those that had
not iron picks had wooden ones, all anxious to
fall to work and dig up our mill; but this would
not permit. AS fast as one party disappeared an
other would arrive, and sometimes l had the
greatest kind of trouble to get rid of them. I
sent them all off in different directions telling
them about such and such places, where was
certain there was plenty of gold if they would
only take the trouble Of looking for it. At that
time never imagined that the gold was SO album
dant. told them to go to such and such places,
because it appeared that they would dig nowhere
but in such places as pointed out. and believe
such their confidence in me that they would
have dug on the very top of yon mountain if
had told them to do So"