Dreams of Success

Dreams of Success. . John Sutter and James Marshall came to California with dreams of a brighter future, but they never imagined their future would hold gold!, New Beginning , For both Sutter and Marshall, California was a land of opportunity. A persuasive entrepreneur, Sutter arrived in 1839 looking to build his own settlement. Arriving via Oregon Territory, Marshall became a farmer and then fought in the Mexican-American War. During the war, Marshall lost his cattle and then his land. It was time for another new start., Building a Second Opportunity , In California, Sutter and Marshall hoped for a second change. Sutter secured a 50,000-acre grant from the Mexican government to build Sutter’s Fort. He wanted to build a new town called New Helvetia, but he needed lumber for construction. In 1847, Sutter hired Marshall to build a sawmill and make New Helvetia a reality., An Unexpected Outcome , Unfortunately, things didn’t turn out the way Sutter and Marshall planned. Although Marshall found gold, he and Sutter did not make money from the gold rush. The workers abandoned the mill site and Sutter’s Fort in search of easier fortunes. With no workers operating the sawmill, it failed and soon was overrun with gold seekers. Eventually Sutter’s Fort closed. Sutter and Marshall were back where they started., Inset Image: , Portrait photograph of James Marshall, taken about 1870.