Over six years earlier than what is touted as the beginning of the great California gold rush, a Mexican named Francisco Lopez made the first discovery of gold in San Francisquito Canyon. This area of southern California was not too far out of the Pueblo of Los Angeles.(3) But instead of catalyzing the mad rush as the next discovey would, this one went relatively unnoticed. Strangely enough, it was a man from the land of gold and silver that made this initial discovery, yet the rest of those searching for the riches in California didn't really make any effort to excavate for more.