Rhoads Diggings

Rhoads Diggings. . , Rhoads Diggings, approximately 1/2-mile northwest from this site, was the location of a rich, alluvial deposit of placer gold that Thomas Rhoads kept secret, but mined with success and great historical significance. In the spring of 1846, Thomas and his wife, Elizabeth, good friends of Brigham Young, agreed to bring their 14 children and 12 grandchildren to California from Missouri. They were one of the first LDS families to arrive in the Sacramento Valley. It is believed he was scouting the area for Brigham Young., Upon arrival in California, the Rhoads made arrangements with Captain John Sutter to live on Dry Creek, near the present town of Galt. Here, Rhoads and his family actually found and mined gold months before the famous find at Coloma. They kept it quiet while mining. Following a visit with former Mormon Battalion members, while prospecting for gold at Mormon Island in March 1848, Thomas and his son, Daniel, camped on a dry hillside in this area. Being experienced miners, they recognized small nuggets of gold in their camp. According to family lore, Thomas and Daniel discretely gathered gold from this area, which was the richest of his numerous mines, for approximately a year - the area was later called Rhoads Diggings., In 1849, at Brigham Young's request, Rhoads and approximately 45 others left California for Utah. Rhoads hid 60 pounds of gold in a buckskin pouch inside a barrel of flour. Later referred to as the Rhoads' Gold Train, he brought with him 100 pounds of gold, among which was the 60-pound pouch of gold, mostly extracted from Rhoads Diggings. This gold was used to set up the Salt Lake Mint and to help sustain the struggling new Mormon settlement in Salt Lake City., California Pioneer Heritage Foundation ü2015