James Marshall discovered gold in California in 1848 while building a sawmill. When inspecting the construction site, he found shiny pebbles that turned out to be gold after testing. The name California comes from a fictional island in a Spanish book populated by black female warriors ruled by Queen Calafia. William Hammond Hall, California's state engineer in the late 1800s, envisioned developing the state's water resources and published many studies on water projects, making him one of the founders of modern California.

1. Mini presentation
By Sophia Mick
CALIFORNIA

2. STRIKING IT RICH.
 Gold!!
 James Marshall arrived at
Sutter’s Fort in 1845 to being
building a water driven sawmill
 Once built the sawmill could
use water to cut logs into
lumber.
 When inspecting the site on
January 24, 1848 Marshall
found some ‘sparkling pebbles’
and thought they were just
pieces of Quartz.
 He thought they might be
gold, and proved his theory
when he took a nugget and
tried to smash it between two
rocks, however instead of
breaking apart, the nugget just
changed its shape. After
undergoing some more
tests, his theory proved true
and he had really found Gold.

3. QUEEN CALAFIA’S ISLAND
 Queen Calafia
 Fictional character
 Is said to have been the commander of the
Californians- a race of black Amazonians.
 Queen Calafia. The name California derives from
a character in a 1510 Spanish book. It was Las
Sergas de Esplandián ("The Exploits of
Esplandian"), by Garcí Ordóñéz de Montalvo.
The book was the story of a brave knight who
battled griffins and giants. It included a
description of a wild island called California,
which was peopled by black women. They were
said to live in the manner of Amazons. The island
was ruled by a Queen Calafia. It was filled with
strange creatures whom the women fed with men
they had captured in other lands. They also fed
their own male children to the creatures.. Some
historians have suggested that the Spanish
explorers applied the name California in jest
when they encountered the barren landscape of

4.  William Hammond Hall
 State engineer responsible for
researching and publishing studies for
water projects in California.
 He envisioned modern California
through water and as such is said to
be considered one of the states
founders.
 As California's State Engineer, Hall
worked on a comprehensive water
supply and flood control system for the
Sacramento Valley. Hall's study of
California's hydrology lasted from 1878
through 1883. In that time, his staff
installed an extensive flow gauging
system along some of California rivers.
 He was also instrumental in designing
projects to help San Francisco acquire
adequate supplies of water from the
western watershed of the Tuolumne
River.