Where the California Gold Rush began in 1848: the park now offers after-dark paranormal investigations of its historic buildings, with reports of phantom voices at a Gold Rush-era Chinese store
310 Back St, Coloma, CA 95613
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Day-use vehicle fee: approximately $8–12 (state park fee). Paranormal night tours: $50/person. See website for current day-use and event pricing.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Mixed: paved paths near main exhibits; gravel and uneven ground in historic town sections. After-dark tours on foot.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1848 · National Historic Landmark · Site of the 1848 California gold discovery · Preserved Gold Rush townsite · Wah Hop and Man Lee Chinese stores
On the morning of January 24, 1848, James W. Marshall noticed flakes of gold in the tailrace of a sawmill he was building for John Sutter on the South Fork of the American River at Coloma, El Dorado County. The discovery set off one of the largest voluntary migrations in American history. Within two years, Coloma swelled from a small Nisenan settlement and mill site to a town of several thousand, with a diverse population of immigrants from Latin America, China, Europe, and the eastern United States.
Coloma declined rapidly once the surface placers were exhausted. By the late 1850s, the population had largely dispersed to other mining camps. The town never fully disappeared, and most of its Gold Rush-era structures survived into the 20th century.
Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park was established to preserve the townsite. The park encompasses the reconstruction of Sutter's Mill, the James W. Marshall Monument and cabin, the Wah Hop and Man Lee Chinese stores (among the few surviving Gold Rush Chinese commercial buildings in California), Pioneer Cemetery, and dozens of other structures and interpretive sites. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in recognition of the discovery's national significance.
The Gold Discovery Park Association, the park's nonprofit partner, operates the Dark History Paranormal Tours as a seasonal fundraiser, with proceeds supporting preservation and restoration of the historic buildings. The California Department of Parks and Recreation manages the broader facility.
Sources
The Gold Discovery Park Association began offering Dark History Paranormal Tours as a seasonal fundraiser, staffed by professional paranormal investigators who guide small groups through four of the park's historic buildings after hours. The tour focuses on documented accounts rather than theatrical effects, using authentic investigation equipment.
Reports documented in local press coverage — including a Georgetown Gazette feature on the tours — describe phantom murmuring voices heard in and near the Wah Hop and Man Lee Chinese stores, structures dating to the Gold Rush era that represent some of the few surviving Chinese commercial buildings from that period in California. A separate account involves a sound described as a meat cleaver striking a surface inside one of the buildings when no activity was occurring.
At Pioneer Cemetery, which holds the remains of miners and Coloma residents from the 1848–1860s period, visitors on the tours have described seeing a woman in a burgundy dress who did not respond to approach and could not be located after the sighting. The cemetery predates the formal park establishment by over a century.
The paranormal events are limited to roughly 10–18 participants per tour and sell out quickly for the fall season. All proceeds benefit the association's restoration work on the historic buildings that serve as the investigation sites.
Most of the historic town of Coloma is preserved within the park. Self-guided routes cover Sutter's Mill reconstruction, the Marshall Monument, the Wah Hop and Man Lee Chinese stores, Pioneer Cemetery, and the James W. Marshall Cabin. This is a National Historic Landmark.
Seasonal after-hours investigation led by professional paranormal investigators through four of the park's most historically active buildings, including the Weller House, Thomas House, Bakearts Gun Shop, and Broderick House. Uses authentic ghost-hunting equipment. All proceeds support the Gold Discovery Park Association's preservation mission. $50 per person; limited to approximately 10–18 participants.
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