California Gold Rush By aubreyg2 Jan 24, 1848 James Wilson Marshall discovers gold in present day Sacramento Period: Jan 24, 1848 to May 19, 1859 California Gold Rush Sep 9, 1850 California becomes a state Jun 10, 1852 Gold becomes scarce in California Aug 26, 1855 Sacramento becomes the capital of California May 19, 1859 Gold Rush Ends Silver is found in Nevada causing the gold rush to end.
