January 15, 2019 - COLOMA, Calif. — California State Parks has announced it will celebrate James Marshall’s discovery of gold at Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park on Saturday, January 26 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Gold Discovery Day, which was first celebrated in Coloma in 1948, will take place near the reproduction of Sutter’s Sawmill. The public is also invited to the grand opening of the new museum exhibits and to join in all the festivities.

In 1848, Marshall found shining flecks of gold in the tailrace of the sawmill he was building in partnership with John Sutter. The discovery in present-day Coloma sparked California’s famous gold rush and led to the greatest mass movement of people in the Western Hemisphere.

WHAT:     Gold Discovery Day

WHEN:     Saturday, January 26, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

WHERE:   Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park
                310 Back Street
                Coloma, CA 95613
                (on Highway 49 between Placerville and Auburn, only one hour from Sacramento)

TIMELINE OF EVENTS:

 10 a.m. - Grand Opening of New Exhibits in the Gold Discovery Museum

 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Join park docents around Sutter’s Mill for living history demonstrations, and games and crafts for children.
• Take part in a log-sawing contest by the reproduction mill.
• Learn about mining techniques with rocker and sluice demonstrations.
• Visit the millworker’s cabin and learn about the gold discovery and the people who were part of that monumental event.
• Visit the blacksmith shop and learn about the Monroe family.
• Watch a timber-framing demonstration and learn about the construction methods used to build the original Sutter’s Mill and our reproduction sawmill.

 2 p.m. – Join us in the museum as we kick off our 2019 lecture series with stories of John Sutter and Jennie Wimmer.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Gold Discovery Day is presented by Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park and the Gold Discovery Park Association. Parking is $8.00 per vehicle. Please note: no dogs will be allowed at the event except certified service dogs. For more information, please call (530) 622-3470.
Source: CA. State Parks