California's Gold #1005 - THINGS THAT COME BACK

At one time Tulare Lake was the largest freshwater lake west of the GreatLakes. In the 1930s farmers choked off the four major rivers that fed the lakeand it quickly dried up. Once the home to millions of birds and herds of tuleelk and antelope, the lake bed is now covered in agriculture. But like allthings great in California, the lake refuses to disappear completely. Duringvery heavy winters, the lake partially re-fills with water and stops motoristsin their tracks as they come across a huge lake amongst the vineyards andorchards that fill the valley. Huell and Luis take a very special canoe ride inthis magical lake.

Anybody who has studied California history knows the name James Marshall andhis discovery of gold which sparked the beginning of the gold rush. Does thename Jenny Wimmer ring a bell? Probably not, but she played a major role inMarshall's discovery. Jenny Wimmer cooked for and took care of twenty men whoworked at Sutters Fort including James Marshall. When Marshall reached down intothe tailrace of the mill and picked up a small shiny nugget, it was Jenny Wimmerhe went to for conformation. Jenny had done quite a bit of mining and knew how totest for gold in a lye bucket she used for making soap. Huell and Luis travelback to Coloma to re-create that historic moment. As an special treat, theactual "Wimmer Nugget" comes home for the day as does many of Jenny'sdescendants.

Contacts: Marshall Gold Discovery State Park 530-622-3470.

Marshall Gold Discovery State Historical Park

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