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John Marshall and his men were working at Sutter's Mill when a gold nugget was found. John Sutter, the owner of the sawmill tried to keep the discovery a secret so his workers would not leave his property in search of gold. However, the secret got out.
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The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo makes California a territory of the United States.
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For the first time, a newspaper in San Francisco reports the discovery of gold in the Sierra. Many people remained skeptical of the report.
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San Francisco's California Star newspaper prints a six-page spread distributed in the east describing the gold mines in California as "immensely rich".
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In the first six weeks following the arrival of gold, Sammuel Brannan earns $36,000- the equivalent of $750,000 today- in profits from his general store, selling miners picks, pans, and shovels.
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45,000 gold seekers travel to California by land and 40,000 others travel to California by ship. Everyone wanted to strike it rich!
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The California legislature passes the Foreign Miner's Tax, which says that every miner not from the United States must pay a tax of $20 a month.
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California becomes the thirty-first state.
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The Foreign Miner's Tax is repelaed due to violent protests.
