Wanda's Picks

Introduction or Abstract           Nancy Ross Gooch was a Black woman whose family—the Gooch-Monroes, owned most of Coloma, specifically the area around Main Street. Coloma, a small city in El Dorado County, is where James Marshall discovered gold at Sutter’s Mill in 1848. If it weren’t for her family’s stewardship of the land, this town might not exist, yet Californians do not know her name. Children in Coloma and residents in the nearby towns of Placerville nor Sacramento know this important history. It is time to change this.           September 9, 1860, is California Admission Day. 2025 marks its 175th Anniversary. It is a perfect time to remember the life and legacy of this powerful Black woman who symbolized industry, intelligence, faith and forgiveness, Mrs. Nancy Ross Gooch (Aug. 1811-Sept. 17, 1901).            The way people live in the minds and hearts of future generations is by naming institutions after them, by erecting monuments, by continuing their work, by calling their names. In a state t