James Marshall

"Some day they will make a fuss over me."(9)

• A carriage-maker from New Jersey, James Marshall made the trip west in 1844. He settled in the Puget Sound area of Oregon but not for long. In 1845 he moved on to California where he acquired a job as a general utility man around Sutter's Fort for John Sutter. Generally good at what he did, Marshall was out of sorts when out of his specific rhelm of knowledge. He held odd views about the world-at-large, and was thought of as a pleasant but odd man by those around him.

• During the war with Mexico, Marshall joined up with Bear Flag group and left his job at Sutter's Fort. He is thought to have fought in Fremont's California Battalion as well. After the fighting ended, Marshall returned to his land near Sutter's Fort to find his animals scattered and his affairs in a sorry state as well. At that time the soldiers that fought were not compensated by the government for their services. So barefooted and filthy, he returned to John Sutter to request his job back. He was employed again as the foreman supervising a project to build a mill.

• In general Marshall was thought of as decent man with his fellow workers. He wasn't quite as congruous with his superiors although. He was, as quoted by others, "morbidly ill-tempered, surly and exceedingly obnoxious." However, his boss had a tragic character flaw of helping all those that needed his assistance.

• After his his initial discovery, he had a moderate amount of success in locating gold. When the gold rush became wide-spread, he grew increasingly sullen about his lot. He felt he deserved greater rocognition for what he did. Towards the end of his life, he would wait outside a local building waiting for his grant check by the government for his discovery years before. As soon as the check arrived, he would spend it on alcohol for himself and his friends, just as extravagantly as someone who had just struck a large gold deposit.

• He died on the morning of August 10, 1885 fully clothed on his bed alone and insignificant. A memorial in his liking was dedicated on May 3, 1990 only five years after his death. A museum telling the tale of his life and displaying the few relics remaining was originally located in his blacksmith shop in Kelsey but was leter moved to Sutter's Fort Historical Monument.(10)

• James Marshall was right. Someday they would make a fuss over him.