Coloma in El Dorado County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Unstoppable News
Photographed By Joseph Alvarado
1. Unstoppable News Marker
Fortune Seekers
California’s gold fields offered boundless opportunity and the hop of a brighter future. With dreams for a better life, many people left their homes bound for Coloma. San Francisco’s residents rushed out of the city to find their fortunes. Oregon farmers soon joined the fray.
Ny Sea and By Land
Imagine traveling hundreds or even thousands of miles without highways, railroads, or airports. Gold seekers were desperate to reach California as quickly as possible to stake their claims. Some braved overland trails to California, driving wagons, oxcarts, or even walking. Emigrants from Hawaii, Australia, Mexico, Peru, Chile, and Europe set sail for California, sustained through grueling ocean voyages by the dream of gold.
Gum Saan
Starve at home or risk everything in California – this was the choice facing many men in China. In 1852, more than 20,000 Chinese took the gamble and fled famine and unrest at home. By the end of the 1850s, Chinese immigrants made up 20 percent of some mining communities. These miners toiled away in “Gum Saan,” the Golden Mountain, searching for gild flakes to support families left behind.
Erected by
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Asian Americans • Exploration • Immigration • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1852.
Location. 38° 48.232′ N, 120° 53.568′ W. Marker is in Coloma, California, in El Dorado County. Marker can be reached from Coloma Road (California Route 49) north of Mt Murphy Road. The resin panel is mounted to a stone masonry wall near the mill replica. It is to the right of the boulder incorporated in the stone wall. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Coloma CA 95613, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Moment of Discovery (a few steps from this marker); A Doomed Endeavor (within shouting distance of this marker); Gold to be Found (within shouting distance of this marker); Uncovering History (within shouting distance of this marker); Sutter’s Mill Site (within shouting distance of this marker); The Spirit of the Gold Rush (within shouting distance of this marker); Cutting Edge (within shouting distance of this marker); Trees, River, Access (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Coloma.
Photographed By Joseph Alvarado, January 21, 2023
2. Unstoppable News Marker
The inscription on the boulder reads:
“This day some kind of mettle was found
in the tail race that looks like goald.”
Henry W. Bigler, 1846
in the tail race that looks like goald.”
Henry W. Bigler, 1846
Credits. This page was last revised on January 28, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 28, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. This page has been viewed 60 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 28, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.
