Explore what daily life was like for the miners and the methods they used to search for gold. Even before the first glorious ring of the Liberty Bell, America was a land of freedom and promise. The Cornerstones of Freedom series explores what inspires people from all over the world to start life anew here, endure the economic and social upheavals, and defend the land and rights that are unique to the United States of America. The 1848 discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill in present-day Sacramento led to a massive surge westward. Hundreds of thousands of people traveled to California from around the world.