Sunday, August 27, 2006

Spur Of The Moment Excursion

On Sunday afternoon, I found myself bored and restless. I climbed in my car and took a drive up to Coloma to visit Sutter's Mill, the location of the first gold discovery in California. Here I am driving on Highway 49. Highway 49 is the main artery through the foothills of California, and is named after the year of 1849, when mass migration to California began. Please forgive my singing. If you have animals or small children, please cover their ears, for it could cause permanent damage. You have been warned. ( I have tried to upload my video, but for some reason the site is not responding. )



James W. Marshall discovered gold in 1848, yes 1848, on the South Fork of the American River in the valley the Nisenan Indians knew as Cullumah. This event led to the greatest mass movement of people in the Western Hemisphere and was the spark that ignited the spectacular growth of the west during the ensuing decades. The gold discovery site, located in the still visible tailrace of Sutter's sawmill, in present day Coloma California, is one of the most significant historic sites in the nation.



2 comments:

Not-So-Naughty Voyeur said...

What a beautiful trip!! I love it when people blog with pictures. You know, cuz I can't read :)

Diane said...

Neat photos!

p.s. this reminds me of Deadwood!!

p.p.s. I hope they come out with the 2 hour movies soon!