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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

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Michael Siemsen
Wide view of the monument.   michaelcsiemsen / Atlas Obscura User
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
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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.

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Statues Mining Gold Gold Rush

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michaelcsiemsen

Published

April 13, 2022

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