James W. Marshall

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James W. Marshall
James Marshall, 1884
Born	James Wilson Marshall (1810-10-10)October 10, 1810 Hopewell Township, New Jersey
Died	August 10, 1885(1885-08-10) (aged 74) Kelsey, California

James Wilson Marshall (October 8, 1810 – August 10, 1885) was an American carpenter and sawmill operator, who on January 24, 1848, reported the finding of gold at Coloma, California, a small settlement on the American River about 36 miles northeast of Sacramento. His discovery was the impetus for the California Gold Rush. The mill property was owned by Johann (John) Sutter who employed Marshall to build his mill. The wave of gold seekers turned everyone's attention away from the mill which eventually fell into disrepair and was never used as intended. Neither Marshall nor Sutter ever profited from the gold find.^[1]