What year was gold discovered in California?
1848. On January 24, 1848, James Marshall discovered gold at Sutter’s Mill near present-day Sacramento, California. Did you know Sacramento is the capital of California? This was the start of the California Gold Rush. Thousands of men rushed to California, and hundreds of mining camps were formed in the Sierra Nevada foothills. People were coming to California from all parts of the United States, Europe, Australia, and China. They came with the notion of striking it rich, and then returning to their families as wealthy people. Did you know the Chinese nicknamed California Gum Sann? It means Golden Mountains. Top of Page 2. How many Chinese immigrated to California between 1848 and 1852? Approximately twenty-five thousand. In 1848, when gold was first discovered in California, there were only seven Chinese living in California. By 1852, there were approximately twenty-five thousand Chinese living in California. A passage from China to California cost $40. This may not seem like a lot of
