Places near me Random place
All the United States California Coloma James Marshall Monument

James Marshall Monument

His discovery kicked off the Gold Rush. One of the hands on this commemorative statue points to the spot where he found the precious metal.

Coloma, California

Added By
Michael Siemsen
Wide view of the monument.   michaelcsiemsen (Atlas Obscura User)
The statue sits atop a tomb/monument built a few years after Marshall’s death, the first such monument built in California.   michaelcsiemsen (Atlas Obscura User)
Information   michaelcsiemsen (Atlas Obscura User)
Photo of the actual spot where Marshall found pieces of gold.  
View of the State Park below from the statue   michaelcsiemsen (Atlas Obscura User)
Info sign at entrance to picnic area from parking lot.   michaelcsiemsen (Atlas Obscura User)
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

This Place Is a Stub

Help improve this place with additional information or photos.

Make an Edit

About

California boasts many historic sites that pay homage to the Gold Rush of 1849, but this is the site of the actual first discovery of gold in 1848 that brought the so-called “49ers.” This monument to the discoverer, James Wilson Marshall, sits on a hill overlooking the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park. One of the statue's hands points to the spot where he found the gold.

Marshall, who helped design and construct a sawmill at the site, never profited from the gold discovery.

Related Tags

Statues Mining Gold Gold Rush

Community Contributors

Added By

michaelcsiemsen

Published

April 13, 2022

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources

Nearby Places

Explore the Destination Guide

Related Places

  • Sam Summer's Hut

    Mount Creighton, New Zealand

    Sam Summers Hut

    This small stone hut was once home to a gold prospector and his family.

  • McCarthy panned for gold, and was also a patriotic newspaper editor

    Los Angeles, California

    'Dan the Miner'

    Murder, searching for gold, and being cut in half—the memorial statue of Daniel O. McCarthy and the Pioneers of '49

  • Skagway Centennial statue with the train in the background.

    Skagway, Alaska

    Skagway Centennial Statue

    A monument commemorating the role of Alaska's native Tlingit guides in the Klondike Gold Rush.

  • Aerial view of Fort Egbert.

    Eagle, Alaska

    Fort Egbert

    This remote fort on the Yukon River is a vestige of the wild Alaska gold rush.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

See Fewer Ads

Become an Atlas Obscura member and experience far fewer ads

Become a Member