Generally the first gold strike in California was thought to have been on the American River in Northern California in 1849 by John C. Marshall. This find was located on the Sutter's mill property. This part of California would become what was called the "Mother Lode". Some Geologists still feel that the Mother lode has not been fully realized.
But the truth is, gold was first discovered in the Placerita Canyon area near Newhall in 1837 by a laborer from the Rancho San Frisquito. While searching for wild onion's he found gold clinging to the roots of the plant.
Placerita Canyon is located only about an hour from downtown Los Angeles. Just take the 14 Freeway to the Placerita off ramp.
The name Placerita means "Little Placer Deposit". A placer mine is a mining operation using the panning method of mining rather than hard rock mining or what is called "Lode Mining".
The Oak of the Golden Dream was the site where the gold was discovered and still may be viewed, surrounded by a white fence. By taking the trail to the right after entering the parking lot it is a short walk to the site of the Old Oak tree.
The authorities in the area knew this could set off a gold rush. The gold strike was quietly pursued by the United States government with the public uninformed of the gold. A large group of geologist's and mining experts were quietly dispatched to California to survey the topography and geological structure of the land.
It was determined that all of California had abundant amounts of Gold, Silver, and other natural resources. The amount of gold from the Placerita Canyon area alone was substantial. And this was a relatively small find.
At this point the United States knew it had to intervene to secure the rights's to all the natural resources in California the four corner states and Texas. James Monroe's Manifest Destiny.
The Mexican American war ensued and in 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed in what is now a park in North Hollywood. Named Fremont Park in honor of General John C. Fremont, the park is near the City Walk area. Freemont at one time was almost elected Governor of California.
This treaty seeded California, the four corner states and Texas to the United States. This is still a controversial decision to this day. The treaty claimed a large part of what was once Mexico including the Water, Mineral and Timber, rights, all of which were worth a fortune. The Hydro-Electric rights alone were worth million's in the 1840-50's. Plus the Rail Road rights.
A considerable amount of this countries wealth was dependent on this decision.
Gene Autry also had a large movie ranch near Placerita called Melody Ranch. Many televison shows were filmed here such as The Lone Ranger and The Roy Rodgers show.
Today Placerita Canyon is a State Historic Park with a nature center, hiking trails, a large waterfall when in season. The park makes for a fascinating day for a family outing.
By
Kenneth Lafler
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