From the capital city of Monterey, California, the governor, a minister named Walter Colton, watched his citizens abandon their homes and head for the mountains, eager to strike it rich looking for gold. Reverend Colton needed to see what the fuss was about. So he went to the gold fields himself, and soon he was burning with gold fever just like everyone else. He learned how to dig and pan for gold, often finding out lessons the hard way. Would he trade his job as governor for a pick and a washpan?