Angels Camp Gold Rush

One of the stranger gold strike stories comes from Angels Camp, California in 1856. Bennager Rasberry was squirrel hunting when his ramrod got stuck in his rifle. He fired it; the ramrod landed near a bush, and when Raspberry pulled it out of the ground, some gold quartz was stuck to it.

He began digging and supposedly raked in several thousand dollars worth of gold in the next few days (and started a gold rush). It’s not clear just how true that tale is—but the guy’s name alone is worth the retelling.