Rhoads Diggings
Rhoads Diggings, approximately 14-mile south from this site, was the location of a rich, alluvial deposit of placer gold that Thomas Rhoads kept secret, but mined with success and great historical significance. In the spring of 1846 Thomas and his wife, Elizabeth, good friends of Brigham Young, agreed to bring their 14 children and 12 grandchildren to California from Missouri.
Upon arrival in California, the Rhoads made arrangements with Captain John Sutter to live on Dry Creek, near the present town of Galt. Following a visit with former Mormon Battalion members while prospecting for gold at Mormon Island in March 1848, Thomas and his son, Daniel, camped on a dry hillside in this area. Being experienced miners they recognized small nuggets of gold in their camp. According to family lore, Thomas and Daniel discretely gathered gold from this area for approximately a year – the area later was called Rhoads Diggings.
In 1849 at Brigham Young’s request, Rhoads and approximately 45 others left California for Utah. Rhoads hid $17,000 (60 pounds) in gold in a buckskin pouch in a barrel of flour. Later referred to as the Rhoads’ Gold Train, he brought with him 100 pounds of gold, among which was the 60 pound pouch of gold, mostly extracted from Rhoads Diggings. This gold was used to set up the Salt Lake Mint and to sustain the struggling new Mormon settlement in the West.
The above text is from Daughters of Utah Pioneers historic marker#572 located on Bidwell Street in Folsom, California.
The photos below were submitted by Marshall Hurst:
