Sons In
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Amador County Branch 96 - Jackson, California |
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OXEN’S TALE # 14 Sutter Loses His Empire PART #7 By Frank Tortorich
From 1844 through 1847, Sutter experienced the best of times. He was even able to pay some of his bills, but continued to borrow. In 1844 like many others, Sutter needing lumber sent crews into the foothills to seek suitable timber. One of those locations, Sutter called Pine Woods, was located on the ridge between towns that would later be named Sutter Creek and Amador City. Needing to relocate to a mill with a good water supply, Sutter’s crew found a location on the south fork of the American River known as Coloma. He sent James Marshall there with a handful of helpers to build a water-powered sawmill. On January 24, 1848, Marshall discovered gold in the tailrace of the mill; he immediately headed for Sutter’s Fort with the news. He and Sutter decided it was important to keep the discovery a secret for fear they would lose their work force if people found out about the gold. Well, as soon the word did get out, Sutter did, in fact, loose 300 or so workers. Having wheat and other crops rotting in the fields, cattle stolen, Sutter never recovered from this event. Gold, which made so many rich, was the actual cause of Sutter’s going broke. |
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