The Economic Times

In 1799, a boy found a big yellow rock in a North Carolina creek; it was used as a doorstep and his father sold it for $3.50 without knowing it was gold. What happened next changed the fate of one family and North Carolina forever

In 1799, one bored adolescent boy found a piece of yellow rock at the family farm. The stone, which served as a doorstop for three years at the Reed Farm in North Carolina, was identified as gold and sold for a paltry $3.5. It was only after this sale that soldier-turned-farmer John Reed realised his folly and decided to turn to mining. This act changed the fortunes of the Reed family and also triggered Americas first Gold Rush.