(WDBJ) – January 24, 1848:
James W. Marshall discovered gold on a property in California.
Previous claims of gold were disappointing, and this was also met with skepticism.
But once President James Polk endorsed the discovery, the gold rush began.
Nearly 100,000 people arrived in California in 1849; those prospectors year were dubbed “forty-niners.”
Gray Media, parent company of WDBJ7, is celebrating the upcoming 250th birthday of the United States of America with a year-long look at our country called “We the People”.
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