THE DISCOVERY OF GOLD IN
CALIFORNIA.
by Gen. John A. Sutter
It was in the
first part of January, 1848, when the gold was discovered
at Coloma, where I was then building a saw-mill. The
contractor and builder of this mill was James W. Marshall,
from New Jersey. In the fall of 1847, after the mill seat
had been located, I sent up to this place Mr. P. L.
Wimmer with his family, and a number of laborers, from
the disbanded Mormon Battalion; and a little later I
engaged Mr. Bennet from Oregon to assist Mr. Marshall in
the mechanical labors of the mill. Mr. Wimmer had the
team in charge, assisted by his young sons, to do the
necessary teaming, and Mrs. Wimmer did the cooking for
all hands.
I was very much in need of a new saw-mill, to get lumber
to finish my large flouring mill, of four run of stones, at
Brighton, which was commenced at the same time, and
was rapidly progressing; likewise for other buildings,
fences, etc., for the small village of Yerba Buena, (now
San Francisco.) In the City Hotel, (the only one) at the
dinner table this enterprise was unkindly called another
folly of Sutters, as my first settlement at the old fort near
Sacramento City was called by a good many, a folly of
his, and they were about right in that, because I had the
best chances to get some of the finest locations near the
settlements; and even well stocked ranchos had been
offered to me on the most reasonable conditions; but I
refused all these good offers, and preferred to explore the
wilderness, and select a territory on the banks of the
Sacramento. It was a rainy afternoon when Mr. Marshall
arrived at my office in the Fort, very wet. I was somewhat
surprised to see him, as he was down a few days previous;
and then, I sent up to Coloma a number of teams with
provisions, mill irons, etc., etc. He told me then that he
had some important and interesting news which he wished
to communicate secretly to me, and wished me to go with
him to a place where we should not be disturbed, and
where no listeners could come and hear what we had to
say. I went with him to my private rooms; he requested me
to lock the door; I complied, but I told him at the same
time that nobody was in the house except the clerk, who
was in his office in a different part of the house; after
requesting of me something which he wanted, which my
servants brought and then left the room,
I forgot to lock
the doors, and it happened that the door was opened by the
clerk just at the moment when Marshall took a rag from
his pocket, showing me the yellow metal: he had about
two ounces of it; but how quick Mr. M. put the yellow
metal in his pocket again can hardly be described. The
clerk came to see me on business, and excused himself for
interrupting me, and as soon as he had left I was told,
now lock the doors; didnt I tell you that we might have
listeners? I told him that he need fear nothing about that,
as it was not the habit of this gentleman; but I could hardly
convince him that he need not to be suspicious. Then Mr.
M. began to show me this metal, which consisted of small
pieces and specimens, some of them worth a few dollars;
he told me that he had expressed his opinion to the
laborers at the mill, that this might be gold; but some of
them were laughing at him and called him a crazy man,
and could not believe such a thing.
After having
proved the metal with aqua fortis, which I found in my
apothecary shop, likewise with other experiments, and
read the long article gold in the Encyclopedia
Americana, I declared this to be gold of the finest quality,
of at least 23 carats. After this Mr. M. had no more rest
nor patience, and wanted me to start with him immediately
for Coloma; but I told him I could not leave as it was late
in the evening and nearly supper time, and that it would be
better for him to remain with me till the next morning, and
I would travel with him, but this would not do: he asked
me only will you come to-morrow morning? I told him
yes, and off he started for Coloma in the heaviest rain,
although already very wet, taking nothing to eat. I took
this news very easy, like all other occurrences good or
bad, but thought a great deal during the night about the
consequences which might follow such a discovery. I gave
all my necessary orders to my numerous laborers, and left
the next morning at 7 oclock, accompanied by an Indian
soldier, and vaquero, in a heavy rain, for Coloma. About
half way on the road I saw at a distance a human being
crawling out from the brushwood. I asked the Indian who
it was: he told me the same man who was with you last
evening. When I came nearer I found it was Marshall,
very wet; I told him that he would have done better to
remain with me at the fort than to pass such an ugly night
here but he told me that he went up to Coloma, (54 miles)
took his other horse and came half way to meet me; then
we rode up to the new Eldorado. In the afternoon the
weather was clearing up, and we made a prospecting
promenade. The next morning we went to the tail-race of
the mill, through which the water was running during the
night, to clean out the gravel which had been made loose,
for the purpose of widening the race; and after the water
was out of the race we went in to search for gold. This was
done every morning: small pieces of gold could be seen
remaining on the bottom of the clean washed bed rock. I
went in the race and picked up several pieces of this gold,
several of the laborers gave me some which they had
picked up, and from Marshall I received a part. I told them
that I would get a ring made of this gold as soon as it
could be done in California; and I have had a heavy ring
made, with my familys cost of arms engraved on the
outside, and on the inside of the ring is engraved, The
first gold, discovered in January, 1848. Now if Mrs.
Wimmer possesses a piece which has been found earlier
than mine Mr. Marshall can tell, as it was probably
received from him. I think Mr. Marshall could have hardly
known himself which was exactly the first little piece,
among the whole.
The next day I went with Mr. M. on a prospecting tour in
the vicinity of Coloma, and the following morning I left
for Sacramento. Before my departure I had a conversation
with all hands: I told them that I would consider it as a
great favor if they would keep this discovery secret only
for six weeks, so that I could finish my large flour will at
Brighton, (with four run of stones,) which had cost me
already about from 24 to 25,000 dollars the people up
there promised to keep it secret so long. On my way
home, instead of feeling happy and contented, I was very
unhappy, and could not see that it would benefit me much,
and I was perfectly right in thinking so; as it came just
precisely as I expected. I thought at the same time that it
could hardly be kept secret for six weeks, and in this I was
not mistaken, for about two weeks later, after my return, I
sent up several teams in charge of a white man, as the
teamsters were Indian boys. This man was acquainted with
all hands up there, and Mrs. Wimmer told him the whole
secret; likewise the young sons of Mr. Wimmer told him
that they had gold, and that they would let him have some
too; and so he obtained a few dollars worth of it as a
present. As soon as this man arrived at the fort he went to
a small store in one of my outside buildings, kept by Mr.
Smith, a partner of Samuel Brannan, and asked for a bottle
of brandy, for which he would pay the cash; after having
the bottle he paid with these small pieces of gold. Smith
was astonished and asked him if he intended to insult him;
the teamster told him to go and ask me about it; Smith
came in, in great haste, to see me, and I told him at once
the truth what could I do? I had to tell him all about it.
He reported it to Mr. S. Brannan, who came up
immediately to get all possible information, when he
returned and sent up large supplies of goods, leased a
larger house from me, and commenced a very large and
profitable business; soon he opened a branch house of
business at Mormon Island.
Mr. Brannan made a kind of claim on Mormon Island,
and put a tolerably heavy tax on The Latter Day Saints. I
believe it was 30 per cent, which they paid for some time,
until they got tired of it, (some of them told me that it was
for the purpose of building a temple for the honor and
glory of the Lord.)
So soon as the secret was out my laborers began to leave
me, in small parties first, but then all left, from the clerk
to the cook, and I was in great distress; only a few
mechanics remained to finish some very necessary work
which they had commenced, and about eight invalids, who
continued slowly to work a few teams, to scrape out the
mill race at Brighton. The Mormons did not like to leave
my mill unfinished, but they got the gold fever like
everybody else. After they had made their piles they left
for the Great Salt Lake. So long as these people have been
employed by me they hav behaved very well, and were
industrious and faithful laborers, and when settling their
accounts there was not one of them who was not contented
and satisfied.
Then the
people commenced rushing up from San Francisco and
other parts of California, in May, 1848: in the former
village only five men were left to take care of the women
and children. The single men locked their doors and left
for Sutters Fort, and from there to the Eldorado. For
some time the people in Monterey and farther south would
not believe the news of the gold discovery, and said that it
was only a Ruse de Guerre of Sutters, because he wanted
to have neighbors in his wilderness. From this time on I
got only too many neighbors, and some very bad ones
among them.
What a great misfortune was this sudden gold discovery
for me! It has just broken up and ruined my hard, restless,
and industrious labors, connected with many dangers of
life, as I had many narrow escapes before I became
properly established.
From my mill buildings I reaped no benefit whatever, the
mill stones even have been stolen and sold.
My tannery, which was then in a flourishing condition,
and was carried on very profitably, was deserted, a large
quantity of leather was left unfinished in the vats; and a
great quantity of raw hides became valueless as they could
not be sold; nobody wanted to be bothered with such trash,
as it was called. So it was in all the other mechanical
trades which I had carried on; all was abandoned, and
work commenced or nearly finished was all left, to an
immense loss for me. Even the Indians had no more
patience to work alone, in harvesting and threshing my
large wheat crop out; as the whites had all left, and other
Indians had been engaged by some white men to work for
them, and they commenced to have some gold for which
they were buying all kinds of articles at enormous prices in
the stores; which, when my Indians saw this, they wished
very much to go to the mountains and dig gold. At last I
consented, got a number of wagons ready, loaded them
with provisions and goods of all kinds, employed a clerk,
and left with about one hundred Indians, and about fifty
Sandwich Islanders (Kanakas) which had joined those
which I brought with me from the Islands. The first camp
was about ten miles above Mormon Island, on the south
fork of the American river.
In a few weeks we became crowded ,and it would no more
pay, as my people made too many acquaintances. I broke
up the camp and started on the march further south, and
located my next camp on Sutter creek (now in Amador
county), and thought that I should there be alone. The
work was going on well for a while, until three or four
traveling grog-shops surrounded me, at from one and 8,
half to two miles distance from the camp; then, of course,
the gold was taken to these places, for drinking, gambling,
etc., and then the following day they were sick and unable
to work, and became deeper and more indebted to me, and
particularly the Kanakas. I found that it was high time to
quit this kind of business, and lose no more time and
money. I therefore broke up the camp and returned to the
Fort, where I disbanded nearly all the people who had
worked for me in the mountains digging gold. This whole
expedition proved to be a heavy loss to me.
At the same time I was engaged in a mercantile firm in
Coloma, which I left in January, 1849 likewise with
many sacrifices. After this I would have nothing more to
do with the gold affairs. At this time, the Fort was the
great trading place where nearly all the business was
transacted. I had no pleasure to remain there, and moved
up to Hock Farm, with all my Indians, and who had been
with me from the time they were children. The place was
then in charge of a Major Domo.
It is very singular that the Indians never found a piece of
gold and brought it to me, as they very often did other
specimens found in the ravines. I requested them
continually to bring me some curiosities from the
mountains, for which I always recompensed them. I have
received animals, birds, plants, young trees, wild fruits,
pipe clay, stones, red ochre, etc., etc., but never a piece of
gold. Mr. Dana of the scientific corps of the expedition
under Com. Wilkes Exploring Squadron, told me that he
had the strongest proof and signs of gold in the vicinity of
Shasta Mountain, and furthers south. A short time
afterwards, Doctor Sandels, a very scientific traveler,
visited me, and explored a part of the country in a great
hurry, as time would not permit him to make a longer stay.
He told me likewise that he found sure signs of gold, and
was very sorry that be could not explore the Sierra
Nevada. He did not encourage me to attempt to work and
open mines, as it was uncertain how it would pay and
would probably be only for a government. So I thought it
more prudent to stick to the plow, not withstanding I did
know that the country was rich in gold, and other
minerals. An old attached Mexican servant who followed
me here from the United States, as soon as he knew that I
was here, and who understood a great deal about working in
placers, told me he found sure signs of gold in the
mountains on Bear Creek, and that we would go right to
work after returning from our campaign in 1845, but he
became a victim to his patriotism and fell into the hands of
the enemy near my encampment, with dispatches for me
from Gen. Micheltorena, and he was hung as a spy, for
which I was very sorry.
By this sudden discovery of the gold, all my great plans
were destroyed. Had I succeeded for a few years before
the gold was discovered, I would have been the richest
citizen on the Pacific shore; but it had to be different.
Instead of being rich, I am ruined, and the cause of it is
the long delay of the United States Land Commission of
the United States Courts, through the great influence of the
squatter lawyers. Before my case will be decided in
Washington, another year may elapse, but I hope that
justice will be done me by the last tribunal the Supreme
Court of the United States. By the Land Commission and
the District Court it has been decided in my favor. The
Common Council of the city of Sacramento, composed
partly of squatters, paid Adelpheus Felch, (one of the late
Land Commissioners, who was engaged by the squatters
during his office), $5,000, from the fund of the city,
against the will of the tax-payers, for which amount
he has to try to defeat my just and old claim from the
Mexican government, before the Supreme Court of the
United States in Washington.
Hutchings California Magazine
November 1857
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