Coloma in El Dorado County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Unstoppable News

Photographed by Joseph Alvarado

1. Unstoppable News Marker

Inscription. Caught up in the frenzied news about the gold discovery, thousand of gold seekers from all corners of the world flooded into Coloma.

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

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California Department of Parks & Recreation.

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. It 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.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s Sacramento Metro,

in the Sierra Nevada,

and in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

It is also in the American Mountain West.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

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.

Other markers no longer nearby. The Tailrace (was a few steps from this marker but has been permanently

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

removed); “Gold Boys Gold” (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed).

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 177 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 28, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.