Скачать или смотреть Oak of the Golden Dream - John Malcolm Penn

Music and lyrics -- John Malcolm Penn
© Radio Flyer Music
http://www.johnmalcolmpenn.com
Everybody knows California gold was first discovered on January 24th, 1848, when James Marshall pulled a nugget from the American River while helping John Sutter build his sawmill, right? Wrong. The discovery by Jose Francisco de Garcia Lopez of gold clinging to the roots of wild onions in what is now called Placerita Canyon in Los Angeles County on March 9th, 1842 (his 40th birthday) predate that event by six years.
Sometimes this find is attributed to simple dumb luck but that is not the case. Francisco Lopez studied mineralogy at a university in Mexico and systematically searched for gold while at the rancho. To graze his cattle, Lopez had leased the land from Don Antonio del Valle, a relative through marriage.
This was indeed the first authenticated find, leading to the first gold rush. Also, it was the first attempt at a mining claim in California, leading to the first mining laws in the state.
Since writing this song in 2003, it has turned out to be a great educational tool for history-social science, as this important story gets little mention in text in relation to the 1849 gold rush. The chorus makes for great call and response.