Gold was initially found by Spanish prospectors along the Colorado River between 1775 and 1780, but it was the later discovery of the precious metal at Sutter’s Mill in 1848 that produced one of the most important events in the history of the western US and led to a major gold rush that enveloped California with thousands of prospectors and merchants swarming to the Californian gold fields and settling large regions of the West. Gold was soon found in many locations that included Grass Valley, Jackson-Plymoth, Hammonton, Folsom, Columbia, La Porte, Oroville, Nevada City, Alleghany, French Gulch, Bodie, Sierra City, Angels Camp, Jamestown, Placerville, Carson Hill, Magalia, Big Oak Flat, Forest Hill, Mojave, Iowa Hill, Rand, Soulsbyville, Snelling and Polker Flat. It soon became evident that a major gold belt unparalleled in North America occurred in the north-central portion of the state east of Sacramento and west of the State’s elbow.