Coloma is a former small town in El Dorado County, California, USA (Latitude/Longitude: 38.8000/-120.8892). It is approximately 9 miles northwest of Placerville, California. Coloma is most noted for being the site where James W. Marshall first discovered gold in California, at Sutter's Mill in 1848, leading to the California Gold Rush. Location in the state of California Formed 1850 Seat Placerville Area  - Total  - Water 4,631 km² (1,788 mi²) 200 km² (77 mi²) 4. ... Placerville is the county seat of El Dorado County, California. ... James Wilson Marshall (October 8, 1810 - August 10, 1885) was an American carpenter and sawmill operator, whose discovery of gold in the American River in California in January 1848 set the stage for the California Gold Rush. ... General Name, Symbol, Number gold, Au, 79 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 6, d Appearance metallic yellow Atomic mass 196. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Sutters Mill Sutters Mill was a sawmill owned by 19th century pioneer John Sutter. ... 1848 (MDCCCXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The California Gold Rush (1848 – 1855) started in January 1848, when gold was discovered at Sutters Mill. ...

While some people still live in the area, Coloma is considered something of a ghost town, as civic buildings such as the jail have been abandoned and left to decay, and other buildings from its boom era (1847-1852) have been converted into museums and other historical displays. In fact, much of what used to be the town of Coloma is now the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park and is designated as a National Historic Landmark. Bannack, Montana, a well preserved ghost town that is now a State Park. ... 1847 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The Louvre Museum in Paris, one of the largest and most famous museums in the world. ... Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park is a U. S. state park in California, USA. It marks the discovery of gold by James W. Marshall in 1848. ... USS Constitution. ...

The name comes from the original natives' (Nisenan Indians) name for the valley Coloma is in; Cullumah, meaning "beautiful." Coloma is on the South Fork of the American River that runs through the valley. The Maidu are a group of Native Americans who lived in Northern California. ... The American River, located in the US state of California, has a prominent place in American history for being the site of Sutters Mill, where gold was found in 1848, leading to the California Gold Rush. ...

External links

• Local visitor's guide
• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 38.8000° -120.8892°
  • WikiSatellite view at WikiMapia
  • Street map from MapQuest or Google Local
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
  • Satellite image from Google Maps or Microsoft Virtual Earth