California Gold Rush | The First Strike | 1
American History Tellers
00:00
The California Gold Rush
The California gold rush accelerated the nation's expansion west and transformed the geography of America. It established California as a place for grand ambitions and big dreams a reputation it retains to this day This is episode one in our four-part series on the California gold rush The first strike Gold was discovered in California in January 1848 in the forested foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains 40 miles east of modern-day Sacramento. Found on land that belonged to John Sutter a plump balding rancher and farmer with a thick black mustache. As a young man Sutter had abandoned the wife and children to move from his native Switzerland to North America to seek his fortune.
Play episode from 05:32
Transcript
