5 Spanish settlers built many missions in California in the 1700s There they attempted to convert Native Americans to Christianity What do you picture when you think of California Today the state is known for sunny beaches movie stars and rows of palm trees But in the early 1800s California was a very different place It was home to more than 100,000 Native Americans Many Spanish settlers also lived in the area They had been building missions in California since the 1700s But most of the land was GOLD CHAPTER ONE
49ers San Francisco’s football team is named after the many men and women who made the long journey to California in 1849 So many people rushed to the West Coast during this year the first year after gold was found that the world created a nickname for them the 49ers When the team was formed in 1946 its founder wanted a name that honored California’s wild beginnings The 49ers original logo was a gold miner in boots jumping and shooting a gun 6 wilderness California was not yet a state It had no big cities only small settlements Even San Francisco now one of the biggest cities in California was a small fishing and shipping town But all of that began to change in 1848 Marshall’s Big Find Before California was known for gold it was famous for another natural resource trees Many settlers worked at sawmills They cut and shipped lumber to use for construction and firewood One of these workers was James W Marshall He worked at Sutter’s Mill a sawmill near what is now Sacramento California
M a r s h a l l s t a n d s i n f r o n t o f S u t t e r s M i l l w h e r e h e f o u n d gold in 1848 On January 24 1848 Marshall was walking near the American River when he spotted something shiny in the water It was gold At first many people doubted Marshall They thought the gold claims were just rumors But soon newspapers began to confirm that California was gold country Gold was a valuable resource Many goods were made from it It could also be used to purchase goods 7
