On January 24th of 1848, a foreman named James Marshall was working on a sawmill along the American River, which flows across northern California. When he looked down at the streambed, a glint caught his eye, so he reached into the water and picked up gold. His discovery would change California and the United States forever. The Gold Rush would draw people from around the world: speculators, prospectors, gamblers, barkeeps, merchants and even prostitutes. It would intensify the slaughter of Natives. It would bring out the worst in people craving riches. Yet in one case, a guy who likely deserved a good killing never got what he had coming.
