Existing comment:
January 24, 1848:
Henry Bigler, one of two workers to keep diaries, wrote:
"Monday 24th this day some kind of mettle was found in the tail race that looks like goald, first discovered by James Martial, the Boss of the Mill."
Workers soon begin to divide their time between building the mill, and hunting for gold after work hours and on Sundays.
February 2, 1848:
A two-year war with Mexico officially ends with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The United States gains control over California, Nevada, Texas, Utah, most of Arizona and New Mexico and parts of Colorado and Wyoming. With no territorial government in place, in the coming rush, access to gold will be free to everyone.
February 4, 1848:
Sutter and Marshall attempt to stake the first mining claim by singing a twenty-year lease with a local Indian tribe. In exchange for 12 square miles of land, they promise to give the Indians clothing and farm tools. The lease agreement is officially denied. California's military governor, Color Richard Mason states in rejecting the claim that the United States does not recognize "the rights of Indians to lease, rent, or sell their lands." |