Show Gold finds have not always caused used a stampede The first disCovery discovery dis dis- covery of the yellow metal on the Pacific coast wa was waa not made by members of ot the Mormon battalion at mill in California C while on their return to Salt Lake after having been discharged from the army When James A. A Marshall who was the manager of ot the sawmill sawmill sawmill saw saw- mill which Captain John A. A Sutter Sutter Sutter Sut- Sut ter had erected on a a. branch of the American river one morning in February 1848 was walking along the race which furnished power forthe forthe for lor the mill when he observed something something something some some- thing bright In the water which sparkled He stopped and scooped it out On examination of his tin find in he concluded that It might be gold Did he advertise the find 1 He did not But without saying anything about hi his his' find he told the th other that he was going to the fort tort forty miles away Arriving at the fort he took one man into his confidence and a test was made of his find The little particles were found to be pure gold After ter he had located his claims and the world bec became me cognizant of his find there was a and the Golden state became the mecca of thousands from all parts of the world Seven years before down near the town of San about thirty-five thirty miles north of L Los Lo's s Angeles Angeles An An- Angeles geles Francisco Lopez while gath ering wild onions found some small pebble pebbIe clinging to the roots Lopez had heard that pebbles much wa wa- va- va worn ter-worn which had been found I Ihs In h his hs s locality contained gold so that he began begin search and as a a. re result result re- re sult suIt he picked up pebbles which when sent to the mint at Philadel- Philadel yielded eighteen ounces of metal and a value of Lopez did not attempt to keep his find a secret and all indications as detailed at that time lime did not cause a ripple of excitement and there the e ewas was no great stampede to the diggins diggins dig gins It simply was wag a a. case of or no advertising by the pe people who lived In Ln the locality Before me is a copy of ot the old San Francisco Argonaut It COl contains con con- Lains a letter written by James G Q 0 Ward Vard under date of March 24 1848 In this letter he says From all accounts we are are re to have a large im- im the states this year and md from Or Oregon gon where the the- theIn In Indians Indians In- In ians began a war of extermination ion tion He was as writing ng from San Francisco and he continued But the great Inducement to immigration tion Lion hereafter will be the news soon soon to reach the United States of the richest gold placers ever known When this information did reach the states stat s the promised migration to Lo the land of gold was on and to the the- it proved unusually fortunate owing to o the fact that th the gold seekers on arrival In Salt Lake disposed of many articles needed by the pioneers at remarkably remarkably remark remark- ably low figures The gold seekers come came by thousands At the scene of ot f the find of the tbs precious met metal l' l were a number of or Latter-day Latter Saints who w were employed oYEd at the mill ana anaIt 1 It t Is to one of them that the first record cord of the great discovery was due lue This Tilis was Henry W. W Bigler afterwards afterward of St George and the entry that he made in his diary on February 24 reads Monday This day some some kind of metal was found in the Hie taU tall race race- that looks look like like- gold Then six days later he entered the record record- Our metal has been blen een tried and proves to be gold It t is thought to be rich We Ve have picked up more than worth during luring the past week Some of the richest finds of the precious metal were made by Mormons Mormons Mor Mor- mons who were employed by Suter Sutter Sut Sut- ler ter er at that time and they took part partin in n extending the area the of-the of the original discovery a and d M Mormon rmon island In Inthe inbe inthe the be American river which became famous amous While none of the Mormons Mor Moi- mons lions acquired great riches from their heir find nevertheless several of ot them hem brought home with them a goodly quantity of the yellow metal |