The Coolidge examiner., 1933-01-27


which they made that day had profoundly af-
fected the social. political and economic history
of the whole United States. For January "a,
1S4S. was the real beginning of "the oden days,
the golden days, the days of 40" the beginning
of the first great gold rush in America, the be-
ginning of an epic migration which has few
parallels in history.
Paradoxical as It may sound, the Days of 40"
In reality began In 1S4S. But considering the
term in its broadest Interpretation the title of
The First of the Forty Miners" may justly be
applied to three men-Johann August Suffer-
James Wilson Marshall and Sam Brannan. Con-
sidering the Importance OF the movement which
they launched they should have come to the end
of their careers full Of years and honors." But
Fate played grim joke on this trio and the end
of all three was almost literal proof of the old
Spanish proverb that "He who finds gold will
die in the almshouse."
Let us consider their careers In the order of
their appearance the stage OF this romantic
drama. First Johann August Suffer- the Swiss
adventurer, who had emigrated to America In
1884. went west and In july 1899 was stranded
in the Bay Of Yerba Buena (now San Francisco).
After making journey into the interior. where
he was much impressed with the possibilities of
the country, he conceived the scheme OF found
ing colony in the Sacramento valley. Cali
fornia was then owned by Mexico and Monterey
was the capital
fastening there Suffer laid his plan before
Gov. Juan Alvaredo. He would establish a cor
don of outposts and check the incursons of hos
tile Indians from the north. he would gather
the peaceful Indians of California together and
give them employment and he would bring Kan
akas from the Sandwich islands also to work
for him. So impressed was Alvaredo with Sut-
ters scheme that he gave him grant of eleven
Cn ahl nod
his colony. which he named New Helveta or
New Switzerland
Within few years Sutter had wrought a mar
velous transformation in the country.
Bridges were built over the streams roads
marked out marshes drained. wells and bitches
dug, and many other improvements made. The
Mexican government had appointed him COVER
nor of northern California and he reigned in
New Helvetia In feudal splendor over nearly
100000 acres (for Sutter had been very generous
with himself in surveying his eleven square
leagues") of land. tended by several hundred
white. Kanaka and Indian retainers. In his pas
lures grazed 1900 head of cattle. 5000 sheep
and 1000 horses and mules. Establishing stores
he traded from Canada to Mexico and as far
east as ST. Louis Governor Michetorena. Al
varedo's successor presented him with an addi-
tional eleven square leagues.
1t is at this point that James Wilson Marshall
comes into the picture Born In New Jersey.
Marshall was originally wagonmaker by trade
but he had heard the call of the West and had
been wanderer over a large part of the trans
Mississippi region until finally he became an
employee of Sutter. a sort of foreman.
Marshall had persuaded Sutter that 1t was high
time for them to quit getting out the lumber
which they needed by hewing and whipsawing
and suggested that they build sawmill. Ac-
cordingly Suffer sent Marshall to build mill on
the American river about 40 miles above the
fort.
On the historic morning of January "a ne went
to inspect the mill race and noticed some gilt
tering particles in the sand. 1t might be gold
or it might be only mica. Marshall. who knew
something about the common tests for gold sub
jected the particles to these and as the re-
covered some of the precious metal He does
not seem to have been very much excited over
IT. however for ii was not until two or three
days later that he made trip back to the fort
to tell Suffer of the discovery he had made The
two men Immediately set to work testing the
metal, first with nitric acid, then by balancing
II on scales with an equal weight of silver and
placing the scales under water. In water the
gold dust. having more specific gravity than the
silver, pulled down the scales There was no
longer any doubt in their minds as to what these
shining particles were.
That night Suffer, as he later said, "felt the
curse of the thing upon him." He and Marshall
agreed to keep the matter secret until they could
finish the mill and until they could establish
claim to the surrounding lands. So Suffer called
together the Indians who had a nominal title to