The discovery of gold in the Sacramento Valley of northern California, inland from the San Francisco Bay, in 1848 marked the beginning of one of the most dramatic periods in American history. The day James Marshall's eye was caught by a shiny object in the bottom of a ditch while he managed the construction of a sawmill for his boss John Sutter would be recounted again and again as news of the discovery spread around the world. Soon thousands of adventurers would migrate to California, searching for their own fortunes.

The California gold rush lasted just a few years, but it dramatically changed the future of the state and the nation. Of the thousands who migrated to California with hopes of instant riches, only a few struck it big in the gold fields. Many more built new lives providing services in the rapidly growing city...