Site information:

Placerita Canyon State and County Park, Placerita Canyon Rd, 4.6 mi NE of Newhall

34.37704,-118.471322

Plaque information:

State plaque at the site.  A second state plaque is located at SE corner I-5 and Lyons Ave, Newhall 

34.378306,-118.563871

Site plaque text:

Oak of the Golden Dream

Francisco López made California's first authenticated gold discovery on March 9, 1842. While gathering wild onions near an oak tree in Placerita Canyon he found gold particles clinging to the roots of the bulbs. The San Fernando placers and nearby San Feliciano Canyon were worked by Sonoran miners using panning, sluicing and dry washing methods. Lopez's find predated James Marshall strike at Sutter's Mill by six years.

First registered March 6, 1935. Plaque placed by the State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with The Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society and Platrix Chapter No.2, E. Clampus Vitus, November 15, 1992.

Remote plaque text:

Oak of the Golden Dream

In Placeritas Canyon, March 1842, Francisco Lopez Y Arballo, while gathering wild onions from around an old oak, discovered gold particles clinging to the roots of the bulbs. It is estimated that $80,000 in gold was discovered as a result of this discovery.

Department of Public Works - Division of Highways

Registered 3/6/1935