Sutter's Mill

The mill sits along the South Fork American River and displays wooden beams, water wheels, and saw mechanisms that turned logs into planks. Today's building is a reconstruction that shows the technology and design of the original 19th-century structure.

James Marshall discovered gold flakes in the riverbed on January 24, 1848, while inspecting the water channel for the mill. This discovery triggered the California Gold Rush and fundamentally changed the region's population and economy within a few years.

The name honors John Sutter, a Swiss immigrant who built a colony here before gold discoveries changed everything. Visitors today see how one January day transformed the site from a quiet sawmill into a symbol of the Gold Rush.

The location sits within Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park and is reachable on foot from parking areas. Mornings work best when fewer visitors are around and the light shows the wooden structure well.

A meteorite that fell near the site in 2012 carries organic compounds that offer clues about the early formation of the solar system. Researchers still study these fragments to learn more about the chemical building blocks of life.

Location: El Dorado County

Inception: 1848

Part of: Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park

Address: 310 Back Street Coloma, CA 95613

GPS coordinates: 38.80347,-120.89236

Latest update: December 4, 2025 23:40