Sutter’s Mill was owned by John Sutter and was the first location gold was found in California. Located outside of Sacramento in the Sierra Nevada foothills, it sits along the south fork of the American River. The finding of gold at Sutter’s Mill was a major event in the history of the United States, setting off a gold rush which triggered a mass migration of people to California with the hopes of becoming wealthy.
The population of California changed dramatically, going from 14,000 non-natives to an estimated 85,000 newcomers to California in just a year. Many came from other countries: Roughly 60,000 Chinese immigrants, 7,000 Mexicans, and tens of thousands from many other countries