Gold fever
In 1848, when gold was discovered in California, John Sutter was already one of the wealthiest people in America. 34 Sutter built a fort (要塞) there, and soon he had 12,000 head of cattle (牛) and hundreds of workers.
By the mid-1840s, more and more Americans were coming to California. 35 He saw them as part of his new kingdom (王国). However, he had no idea that this would destroy his dream some day.
At the beginning of 1848, Sutter sent James Marshall and about twenty men to the American River to build a sawmill. 36 Later he wrote, “I reached my hand down and picked it up; it made my heart beat fast, for I was certain it was gold.”
37 Hundreds of thousands of people, almost all of them men, began to prepare for the journey west. They said their goodbyes and tried to take a chance on gold: a year of pain in return for a lifetime of riches. They were called “Forty-Niners” because they left home in 1849.
38 Sutter did not have gold fever. He wanted an agricultural kingdom and refused to give up his dream. In the new California, he was simply in the way. The Forty-Niners destroyed his crops (庄稼) and pulled down his fort for the building materials. In the end, he was very sad and left California.
A. Sutter welcomed the newcomers.
B. The news soon spread to every village and town.
C. He was a European and moved to California in 1839.
D. A few films were made about the story of John Sutter.
E. However, few people believed the discovery was a fact.
F. By the end of 1850, Sutter's kingdom completely broke down.
G. It was nearly complete when something unusual caught Marshall's eyes.