In the month of July 1848, the Sacramento Valley drastically changed when gold was found on other rivers and tributaries than the American River. This prompted the United States military to survey the gold region. Lieutenants William Tecumseh Sherman and Edward Ord, who were part of the U. S. Topographical Corp, designed maps of the American River and other tributaries highlighting the different “mines” and “washings.” These maps and some of the gold found by James Marshall on January 24, 1848 at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma were sent to Washington DC for confirmation by the War Department. Some of the gold Marshall found in on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Because of Sherman and Ord’s map-making skills, they were able to assist Captain William H. Warner in December 1848 to survey the area between Sutter’s Fort and the Sacramento River for the future site of Sacramento City. Portion of a map designed by William T. Sherman in July 1848 illustrating the ...