Clear Creek Gold Discovery Historical Marker

The first known gold discovery in Shasta County was made by Pierson B. Reading and his Indian laborers in 1848 on a bar in Clear Creek.  When Reading made this discovery in Clear Creek, The Rush soon spread to Shasta County from Coloma where James Marshall had discovered gold earlier the same year in the tailrace of John Sutter's sawmill.  By 1849, the rush was in full swing in Shasta County.  The area around the discovery site was quickly overrun with miners trying to strike it rich.  The community eventually became known as Horsetown. Mining began in a haphazard way with shovels, picks, pans, even knives and spoons.  Gold dominated the mineral economy of Shasta County until 1897 when copper became king.  The above marker is alongside Clear Creek Road near the discovery site.  Another historical marker commemorating the discovery is located at the intersection of Canyon Road and Hwy. 273.