Sutter's Mill

Sutter's Mill was a special building by a river in California. It was a sawmill, which means it used water power to cut big logs into smaller pieces for building. A man named John Sutter owned it, and that's how it got its name. But the mill is famous for something else entirely! A worker there found something shiny and yellow that changed everything.

One day, a worker named James W. Marshall was busy near the mill. He spotted something sparkling in the water. It was gold! This was a super exciting moment. News spread like wildfire, and suddenly, everyone wanted to come to California to find their own gold. This started a huge event called the California Gold Rush!

Sutter's Mill is important because the gold found there started the California Gold Rush. This brought tons of people to California looking for riches. It helped the state grow very quickly and become a very important place. The mill itself was rebuilt so people can still visit and see where this amazing discovery happened.

The gold was found right where the mill was working. It was in the water flowing from the mill's wheel. This discovery was so important that it made people rush to California from all over the world. It was like a treasure hunt that lasted for many years and changed the history of the United States.