The record-union., 1893-05-01
FIRST GOLD DISCOVERED.
Efforts of Pioneers to Establish the
Exact Date Thereof.
The Committee Decide, After Investi-
CATION, That 1t Was on the cath Day
of January In the year IS4S.

AT the monthly meeting of the Sacra-
mento Society of Pioneers, held on Satur-
day evening, the following report of the
committee appointed to ascertain, if pos
sible, the exact date on which gold was
first discovered in California by ]. w.
Marshall, was adopted:
SACRAMENTO, March 24th, 1898.
Mr.. President and Brother Pioneers;
your committee, who were appointed
by this association TO investigate and find
out, if possible, the date on which gold
was first discovered in California by }.
w. Marshall, beg leave to make the fol-
lowing report: We have examined many
documents, heard many verbal state
ments OF what this and that one had SAID
and heard in the matter, many OF them
contradictory. Some say that the 18th OF
January, 1913, was the day when gold
was first discovered by j. w. Marshall
at the mill race at Coloma, California,
Others say that the 10Th was the day, ana
some say the 10Th, but according TO the
best information that we can get, we De-
lieve that the oath of January. 1913, was
the very day that gold was nrst discover
ed in California by J. w. Marshall.
We believe this because this is the only
day that there is any written record OF the
fact made on the day that gold was nrst
discovered in California. This record was
made by II. w. Bigler, on the very day,
in these words:
'Monday, January oath. This day some
kind of mettle was found in the tail rase
that looks like gold first discovered by
James W. Marshall, the boss OF the mill.
Sunday, Both. Clear and has been all the
week; our mettle has been tried and
proves to be gold; it is thought to be rich;
we have picked up more than a hundred
dollars worth last week."
The above is the first record of the dis
covery, and the only one made IN writ
ing on the day of discovery, and was in
the diary of Henry w. Bigler, one OF the
laborers at the mill. He was in the habit
of keeping regular record OF important
events which transpired under his OBJ
servation.
Nothing was said in authenticity about
the date of the discovery until 1886, eight
years after the event, when Marshall
published letter in which he said that
he found gold at Coloma about the 18TH of
January lS4S. Neither then nor at any
subsequent time did he claim that his
recollection of the day was aided by
written memodrandum.
In 1857 he published statement that
the discovery was made on the 18th, 18TH
or 10th of January, l64S.
John S. Hittell says that in his investi-
CATION, which made him familiar with
the diaries of IZariah Smith and one OF
the mill builders at Coloma, also OF Sutter,
these three diaries agree substantially with
one aonther, and with MarshalPs state
ment that four days after the discovery he
took specimens of the gold to Sutter s
Fort. Smith made his entry on Sunday.
as a rule, and on the 30th day of January
he wrote that on the preceding week gold
had been found at the mill, and that
Marshall had gone to New Helyetla TO
have it tested.
This was probably written in the morn
ing, for Bigler's entry, made on the same
day, mentions that the test was successful,
implying that Marshall had returned.
Suffers diary states that on the 18th of
January Marshall arrived at the fort on
important business, without mentioning
the gold. The agreement OF the three
diaries with MarshalPs statement, that he
went TO New Helvetia (or fort four days
after the discovery.
The superior value of the documentary
evidence as compared with vague recol-
lections dimmed by years of intervening
events, and the uncertainty of Marshall
in reference to the date, left no room for
doubt that the 24th was The true day.
1t is worthy of note that, although Mar
shal's date was first discredited by Big
ler, the latter sought no publicity on this
point. For more than twenty years after
MarshalPs story had been in print he
kept silence, and finally did not give his
testimony until solicited to do so. We
may presume that his attention was not
called to the discrepancy of dates until
1885, and then he did not seem to attach
enough importance to it to make any
effort to inform the public about the
error.
Now, after examining this matter quite
thoroughly, pro and con, we have finally
come to the conclusion that the 24th OF
January, lS4S, was the day that J. w.
Marshall first discovered gold in Califor-
mia, and we recommend that this society
indorse that day as being the true day OF
gold discovery in this State by James w.
Marshall. Also, that this society cele-
brate this day annually in some becoming
manner; also, that the above preamble
and resolution be spread upon our min
utes. n. d. GooDELL,
WINFIELD j. DAVIS,
II. TREICHLER.