When James Marshall died in the town of Kelsey on August 10th, 1885, he wasn't held in as high regard as the "gold discover", until later on. He had moved to Kelsey, after living in Coloma, to hunt for gold, and do blacksmith work. He was all but broke when he died, and was buried in the town of Kelsey, but outside the cemetery. The obelisk pictured above, in Kelsey just off Highway 193, shows the original site of his grave.
In May 1890, five years after Marshall's death, Placerville Parlor #9 of the Native Sons of The Golden West successfully advocated the idea of a monument to the State Legislature, which appropriated a total of $9,000 for the construction of a monument and tomb which can be seen today. A statue of Marshall stands on top of the monument, pointing to the spot where he made his discovery in 1848. He now lies buried under the much larger statue in James Marshall Gold Discovery Park in Coloma.
