Sutter's Mill was a sawmill owned by 19th century pioneer John Sutter. It was located in Coloma, California at the bank of the American River. Sutter's Mill is most famous for its association with the California gold rush. It was here that an employee of Sutter's, James Marshall, on January 24, 1848, found several nuggets of gold that would begin the transformation of California from a sleepy outpost to a bustling center of activity. It brought people from many different cultures to the "Golden" state. The first document on the discovery of the gold was in Henry Bigler's diary. He and many other people working at the mill were there because the government asked the Mormons for a battalion of troops now known as the Mormon Batallion.

California Gold Rush

Sutter’s Mill