In 1844 Capt. William A. Hutchinson graduated from the Royal Navy School in Greenwich, England. He was commissioned Cadet in 1845 and served on the coast of Africa. In 1846 he resigned from the service as Captain and went to New Zealand. On May 14th, 1847 he arrived in California aboard a South Sea trading ship. In October of 1847 Capt. Hutchinson went to Talcahuano, Chile and stayed there until returning to California in 1849 after hearing news of the gold discovery. He was engaged in merchandising and gold mining. He was the first to locate a copper claim in "Copperopolis" and Salt Spring Valley.
From the description of Autobiography and Reminiscence of William Austin Hutchinson, Vallejo, Cal., 1901. (The Society of California Pioneers). WorldCat record id: 55979262
