In May a San Francisco merchant and a news paper man named Sam Brannan came to Sutter's Mill. He wanted to see if all the stories he had head about are true. He came back to San Francisco with a bottle of gold dust shouting "Gold! Gold! Gold from the American River!" Soon many people in San Francisco, Monterey, and San Jose were leaving home to seek their fortunes. These people had caught gold fever! The dream of finding gold "Was a frenzy" one gold seekers said, who imagined that.