Sutter’s Mill Replica - Coloma, CA - Exact Replicas on Waymarking.com

John A. Sutter came to California in 1839 with the aim of creating a kind of agrarian utopia. At that time, Alta California was part of Mexico, so Sutter became a Mexican citizen and obtained a land grant near present-day Sacramento. By 1847, the United States had taken over the administration of California and Sutter’s settlement was growing. Needing lumber for a flour mill, Sutter set about building a sawmill on the American River.

Before the sawmill was completed, James W. Marshall, foreman in charge of the sawmill’s construction, discovered a flake of yellow metal in the tail race of the mill. Sutter and Marshall had to conduct some chemical analysis and consult an encyclopedia before being convinced that what they had was in fact gold. Being satisfied with the legitimacy of their find, Sutter attempted to keep it secret but to no avail, and the rest, as they say, is history. Within a year, Sutter’s settlement was overrun with squatters and prospectors.

The California Gold Rush created a lot of wealthy men, but John Sutter and James Marshall were not among them. As Sutter wrote in his account of the gold discovery: “By this sudden discovery of the gold, all my great plans were destroyed. Had I succeeded for a few years before the gold was discovered, I would have been the richest citizen on the Pacific shore; but it had to be different. Instead of being rich, I am ruined…” James Marshall died penniless in 1885.

The original sawmill was destroyed by flood waters in 1850. A stone monument was erected at the spot along the river where the famous sawmill once stood. In 1967, a replica of the original sawmill was built using James Marshall’s original plans and an early daguerreotype taken in 1850. That replica was replaced with this new one in 2015. It’s supposedly a more accurate representation of the original and is located a little closer to the actual site. The replica is part of the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park in Coloma.

Where is original located?: Destroyed Where is this replica located?: Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, Coloma, CA Who created the original?: James W. Marshall Internet Link about Original: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutter%27s_Mill Year Original was Created (approx. ok): 1848

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