9781422285565

Chapter One HISTORY

W hat is it?”

“

alchemists: medieval chemists who tried to convert metals into gold. colonize: to go live in a new land as part of a settlement. convert: to change someone’s beliefs, especially those related to religion. mineralogists: scientists who study minerals and how to classify, locate, and distinguish them. subjugation: forcing into submission. Words to Understand

The question was curt and

sharp. “Gold,” came the reply.

“Oh, no,” the man said in disbelief. James Marshall held the curious rocks in his hand as William Scott shook his head. “I know it to be nothing else,” Marshall said.

The men were building a sawmill near Sutter Creek, a tributary of the American River located northeast of present-day Sacramento, California. Earlier that day, January 24, 1848, James Marshall had plucked several shiny objects from the creek bed.

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