One of history's great ironies was the fact that neither James Marshall nor john sutter became rich as a result of their discovery of gold in 1848.
Was this Fair?
When John Sutter arrived in America, he headed straight for the west of to Missouri and worked there as a merchant and an innkeeper for several years. He wanted to establish his own agricultural empire out west. A trapping party was heading to the Pacific Coast when he joined them on the way. He contracted with James Marshall to build a saw mill on the South Fork of the American River about 50 miles east of his fort. James discovered gold in a part of the American River called the tail race. They later met at Sutter’s main fort and James showed John the gold. Sutter grabbed a book and said, “It’s gold!" The simple words that ignited the imagination of the world.
James Marshall and John Sutter were partners in this crazy gold rush, but they both came out of this bonanza with no wealth. James Marshall discovered the gold in the American River during the construction of his partner, John Sutter’s new saw mill. He had to be the most unlucky man of that period because he found the gold but got no wealth from it. Many don’t know about his tragic life after he made possibly the greatest discovery of the time. He died with assets barely sufficient enough to cover his funeral expenses. The gold discovery more than 150 years ago arguably began the modernization of California. They decided they wanted to keep this a secret but they were very unsuccessful.
By this sudden discovery, all the great plans John Sutter had were destroyed. He had succeeded for a few years before gold. He would have been the richest citizen on the Pacific Coast, but it was different. Instead of riches he was ruined. This shows how gold changed the ways people lived not only in the state of California but also America. If gold wasn’t discovered then people wouldn’t have had a reason to move to California and it probably wouldn’t be a state in America today.
John Sutter and James Marshall didn’t receive any wealth for their discovery but people like Samuel Brannan, John Studebaker, Levi Strauss, and Charles Crocker know a little more about wealth than some others ,and became wealthy for what they did. Samuel Brannan was an American settler, businessman, journalist, and founded the California Star newspaper. John Studebaker manufactured the miners wheelbarrow and founded the Studebaker Corporation Automobile company. Levi Strauss was a businessman and founded the first company to make blue jeans, Levi Strauss & Company. Charles Crocker was an American railroad executive and founded Central Pacific Railroad.
All of this wasn’t fair to Sutter and Marshall, men who made possibly the biggest discovery of the United States and physically changed the face of America, to not get the least bit of money, which could have changed their lives for the greater good. I’m not saying that what the other people did wasn’t important, but I do think this was a little unfair.
They all became wealthy for what they did, what they founded, or how they did it. John Sutter and James Marshall did the best thing that could have ever happened to California and that started a whole new chain of events that finally led up to California’s independence and joining America. I think this is one of the greatest moments in American History and to not get the full credit, wealth, and fame those two men deserved is just insane. Sure they didn’t know it at the time, but they did something amazing that started a whole new chapter in the history of the development of America: the day James Marshall found gold in the American River.
Katie M.
James Marshall and John Sutter were partners in this crazy gold rush, but they both came out of this bonanza with no wealth. James Marshall discovered the gold in the American River during the construction of his partner, John Sutter’s new saw mill. He had to be the most unlucky man of that period because he found the gold but got no wealth from it. Many don’t know about his tragic life after he made possibly the greatest discovery of the time. He died with assets barely sufficient enough to cover his funeral expenses. The gold discovery more than 150 years ago arguably began the modernization of California. They decided they wanted to keep this a secret but they were very unsuccessful.
By this sudden discovery, all the great plans John Sutter had were destroyed. He had succeeded for a few years before gold. He would have been the richest citizen on the Pacific Coast, but it was different. Instead of riches he was ruined. This shows how gold changed the ways people lived not only in the state of California but also America. If gold wasn’t discovered then people wouldn’t have had a reason to move to California and it probably wouldn’t be a state in America today.
John Sutter and James Marshall didn’t receive any wealth for their discovery but people like Samuel Brannan, John Studebaker, Levi Strauss, and Charles Crocker know a little more about wealth than some others ,and became wealthy for what they did. Samuel Brannan was an American settler, businessman, journalist, and founded the California Star newspaper. John Studebaker manufactured the miners wheelbarrow and founded the Studebaker Corporation Automobile company. Levi Strauss was a businessman and founded the first company to make blue jeans, Levi Strauss & Company. Charles Crocker was an American railroad executive and founded Central Pacific Railroad.
All of this wasn’t fair to Sutter and Marshall, men who made possibly the biggest discovery of the United States and physically changed the face of America, to not get the least bit of money, which could have changed their lives for the greater good. I’m not saying that what the other people did wasn’t important, but I do think this was a little unfair.
They all became wealthy for what they did, what they founded, or how they did it. John Sutter and James Marshall did the best thing that could have ever happened to California and that started a whole new chain of events that finally led up to California’s independence and joining America. I think this is one of the greatest moments in American History and to not get the full credit, wealth, and fame those two men deserved is just insane. Sure they didn’t know it at the time, but they did something amazing that started a whole new chapter in the history of the development of America: the day James Marshall found gold in the American River.
Katie M.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sutter
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_W._Marshall
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Brannan
http://www.edcgov.us/Living/Stories/Wheelbarrow_Johnny.aspx
http://www.biography.com/people/levi-strauss-9496989
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/biography/tcrr-ccrocker/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sutter
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_W._Marshall
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Brannan
http://www.edcgov.us/Living/Stories/Wheelbarrow_Johnny.aspx
http://www.biography.com/people/levi-strauss-9496989
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/biography/tcrr-ccrocker/