By Dan Walters
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.
When James Marshall discovered traces of gold in the American River in 1848, he ignited the famous California Gold Rush that attracted a tidal wave of immigration and led to statehood just two years later.
However, not everyone who made the arduous trek to California in the mid-19thcentury was seeking gold. Many — including those in the ill-fated 1846…
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