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Regional Information...
Map from Grass
Valley Chamber of Commerce
Penn Valley
The town was settled due
to its location on a freight wagon route
between Sacramento and the Mother Lode and
silver mines in Nevada. Rural in nature,
older farm buildings co-exist with modern
homes, and there is a growing business community.
Known in its early days as the "Pantry
of the Northern Mines," Penn Valley
remains a rich agricultural area, dotted
with farms, cattle ranches and a growing
viticulture industry.
Rough & Ready
Rough & Ready,
about 4 miles west of Grass
Valley, in April 7, 1850
became the first town to
secede from the United States.
The miners were fed up with
the government after a tax
was placed on their mining claims. After
3 months, and with Independence Day approaching
and rumor being that they were running
out of beer, the Independent Republic
of Rough and Ready was dissolved. Plans were immediately
made for their own Fourth of July celebration. Go
to Rough & Ready Website
Grass
Valley
When their starving cattle went off in
search of food, the equally hungry immigrants
followed them. They were led to the area
of Grass Valley and its lush underbrush and
growth. They were not aware of the hugely
rich quartz deposits that would make Grass
Valley the premier gold mining region of
the "mother lode"
area. None of the mining operations are active
today, but the area is still thriving as
a recreation and retirement center. The settling
of Grass Valley: 1849 Grass
Valley's historic downtown district dates from
the 1850's, and the town's underground mines produced
more than $900 million in gold, making it California's
richest. Visitors can explore the mine site, the
stone mansion once occupied by its owner and the
immaculate rose garden surrounding it at the 780-acre
Empire Mine State Historic Park on the southeast
side of town.
Nevada
City
Nevada City was originally a mining camp
founded along Deer Creek in 1849. It rapidly
became the largest and wealthiest mining
town in California, becoming at one point
the third largest city in California with
a population of 10,000. Nevada City's good
fortune allowed miners and settlers to enjoy
plush gambling establishments, hotels, saloons,
and stores. However, like many big cities
that sprang up quickly during the rush for
instant wealth, early Nevada City shared
a darker side of claim jumping, murder, brothels
and opium dens.
Nevada
City derived its name after the Spanish
word for snow. Nevada City has carried
many monikers through its history; Caldwell's
Upper Store, Coyoteville, and Deer Creek
Dry Diggings, but Nevada was chosen in
the 1850s to give the town a cultured
name. "City" was
added later after Nevada became a state,
leaving many to feel as the town's name
had been stolen. However,
if you live in Nevada County and want to go to
college in Reno, Nevada, you are treated the
same as if you lived in the state. |
