Gold discovery sparked a rush that rapidly swelled California’s population and economy—and brought conflict and disruption.

President James K. Polk, at the end of a year of fantastical rumors of riches in the Sierra Nevada, ignited the California Gold Rush with his State of the Union address on this day in history, Dec. 5, ...

Editor’s note: This story was originally published on Jan. 24, 2025. A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives. On Jan. 24, 1848, James W. Marshall found a gold ...

DATES BACK TO 178 YEARS THIS WEEK, WHEN JAMES MARSHALL FOUND FLECKS OF GOLD ALONG THE SOUTH FORK OF THE AMERICAN RIVER. JANUARY 24TH, 1848. HE'S STANDING DOWN THERE, LOOKS DOWN AT HIS FEET, AND ...

How the two primary people of the gold discovery in California failed to cash in. On Jan. 24, 1848, gold was discovered on the American River. James Marshall, the first to find it, never made a ...

Log-in to bookmark & organize content - it's free! The discovery of gold in California in 1848 generated an influx of people to the area from other parts of the United States as well as from other ...