When California joined the Union on September 9, 1850, it did so with the kind of drama, speed, and chaos that perfectly suited the place we now think of as the land of reinvention. In a country that was still wrestling with slavery, westward expansion, and fragile compromises, California didn’t wait politely in line like …
In January 1848, a discovery at Sutter’s Mill near Coloma, California, sent shockwaves through the young United States. James W. Marshall’s unassuming find of shiny flakes in the American River ignited what would become one of the most transformative events in American history: the California Gold Rush. This glittering metal drew dreamers from all walks …
