Commentary In 1839 Swiss immigrant John Sutter forged his way to what would one day be known as California. His dream was to set up a community for farmers and ranchers. By 1848, the wheels were in motion. He hired a carpenter named James Marshall to oversee the construction of his properties. But while in search of a source of lumber to build his dream, he discovered something that would change the course of history—gold. It didn’t take long for word to spread. Within the year some 300,000 people came to California seeking their own fortunes. Unfortunately for Sutter, many of those fortune hunters included his employees and by 1852 he was out of business. But that wasn’t the end of the story. There were some miners who “struck it rich,” as the saying goes. But of those, few of them made it home with their riches. Most of them …