Grass Valley, California, nestled in the Sierra Nevada foothills, was once a central hub for gold mining in the United States. Its transformation from a rest stop for weary travelers to a booming mining town began with the discovery of gold-filled quartz in 1850. This revelation led to the development of hard rock mining techniques, which revolutionized the industry. The town's rich history is reflected in its landmarks, including Mill Street, where miners once processed stolen high-grade ore under the cover of darkness, and the homes of famous figures like Lola Montez and Lotta Crabtree. The growth of the mining industry also spurred the development of essential infrastructure, such as churches, schools, and hotels. The Holbrooke Hotel, in particular, thrived during the Great Depression due to the increased demand for gold. Nevada County's mining success was further solidified by the Empire, North Star, and Idaho Maryland mines, which were among the richest in the state. The mines' operations led to numerous innovations in mining technology and transportation, including the use of Cornish pumps, pneumatic rock drills, and the construction of the Nevada County narrow gauge railroad. The legacy of the mines extends beyond their economic impact, as they also played a crucial role in the development of the local community, contributing to the establishment of schools, parks, and hospitals. Despite the closure of the mines in the mid-20th century, their historical significance and the potential for future gold extraction continue to shape the identity of Grass Valley today.

Full Transcript of the Video:

My name is Ed Schofield with the Nevada County Historical Society.

Welcome to Grass Valley, California.

Once home to the richest gold mines in the United States and the birthplace of hard rock quartz mining.

Located here in the picturesque Sierra Nevada foothills, Grass Valley was little more than a resting place for weary immigrants making their way west in 1849.

A group from Boston panned for gold along the lower valley of Wolf Creek.

Here they constructed cabins and opened a store.

The resulting settlement became known as Boston Ravine.

Briefly it was named Centerville, then Grass Valley.

The early miners here believed all gold originated in the streams.

Little did they realize that the heart of California's gold lay beneath them buried in solid rock.

Finally, in 1850, a ledge of quartz filled with gold was discovered on a nearby hilltop, changing the philosophy of gold mining forever.

By opening the first stamp mill in California, Grass Valley would earn its fame and prosperity as the origination point of a whole new era in mining.

Hard rock mining was born.

Mill Street was named after the large number of small ore grinding mills, sometimes referred to as pestle and mortar mills.

Operating in the area usually after dark, miners often pocketed high grade ore from the mines they worked, only to bring home and process the gold away from watchful eyes.

This form of high grading was the first of many methods in which some miners profited beyond normal wages.

Beautiful, talented, and spirited was Lola Montez.

She danced her way to success and into the hearts of lovers, two husbands, and the King of Bavaria.

Irish born in 1818, she came to Grass Valley in 1853 in search of tranquility.

She bought this house on Mill Street, the only one she ever owned.

Lola's reputation brought her shame from the town's prominent families.

Yet she showed another facet by helping the needy and caring for injured miners.

She sold her home in 1855 and moved to New York where she died in 1861.

Today the building is the home of the Grass Valley, Nevada County Chamber of Commerce.

Lotta Crabtree was only six years old when Lola Montez came to town.

A vivacious young girl with merry dark eyes and red gold hair, Lotta lived here in her mother's boarding house just two doors from Lola.

The two became inseparable and began taking hiking and riding trips together.

Lola taught Lotta to sing and dance and soon realized the bright young lady possessed a rhythm and grace surpassing Lola's own.

For half a century, Lotta Crabtree would become the toast of theater audiences around the nation, with some of her performances ending with a shower of gold.

Where Lola was notorious, Lotta was famous.

The early builders appreciated the need for sidewalk shelter from the sun and rain.

And today, with stylish brick facades rising above wooden awnings, Mill Street still retains the atmosphere and charm of the great mining days.

In 1850, Main Street was little more than a well-worn miners trail linking Marysville and Ruffin-Ready to the gold camps of Nevada City.

By 1853, the corner of Mill and Main Street was the center of commerce in Grass Valley.

As seen here in 1873, citizens are searching for gold mixed in the rock, which is the waste material from a nearby mine.

With ore recovery methods not as sophisticated as they would be in later years, Main Street was literally paved with gold.

Faith in God was a hallmark of this community from the very beginning.

Here on South Church Street behind the Montez home stands the oldest church in the northern mines.

Completed in 1856, the Immanuel Episcopal Church was built on land donated by the Gold Hill Mining Company.

On the corner of church and chapel streets stands the old Mount St.

Mary's convent, orphanage, and school.

The convent was funded by Father William Dalton and Five Sisters of Mercy in 1865.

The orphanage was built by community members to meet the needs of children orphaned by mining accidents.

The Sisters of Mercy occupied the upper floor of the building until 1968, then relocated the convent to the school.

As the historical building was falling into disrepair, a group of citizens formed the Mount St.

Mary's Preservation Committee and in 1969 purchased the building from the Sisters for one dollar on the stipulation that it could be used to meet Nevada County's cultural needs.

Money was raised to restore the building and today the St.

Joseph's Cultural Center is home to two museums, a thrift shop, a cable TV studio, and many other well-established cultural organizations.

Here stands a famous Holbrook Hotel frequented by many travelers dealing with important mining concerns.

Originally the Exchange Hotel, it was completed in 1862.

Famous guests include Mark Twain, George Hurst, Father of William Randolph Hurst, Theodore Roosevelt, and many more.

The depression years in the 1930s were especially good for the Holbrook.

Throughout the United States, businesses failed, factories closed, and unemployment was rampant.

Gold, however, was in great demand and in 1934 the price of gold jumped from $20.

67 per ounce to $35, making mining even more attractive.

New gold mines opened in the Grass Valley area.

Foundries, sawmills, and other industries run at full capacities, keeping the mines supplied with materials.

Many new homes were built here during the 30s, primarily Union Hill, Cedar Ridge, Alta Hill, Ridge Road, and other areas.

The Holbrook Hotel was the only hotel in the United States with a one-month waiting list for reservations, as mining engineers came from all over to upgrade and operate their mines to their full potential.

Nevada County never experienced a depression.

By 1939, over 2,500 were employed in the mines alone.

Gold production in California would eventually rank third in the nation.

The three richest gold mines in California were the Empire, the North Star, and the Idaho, Maryland, all in the Grass Valley Mining District.

The Empire was the most famous, as it was the oldest and largest continually operating mine in the United States.

In its 106 years of operation, many world-renowned principles of deep quartz mining were pioneered and perfected here.

And because of its steady influence, Grass Valley became a prominent town of permanence, unlike many other mining towns that vanished in obscurity.

Picks and shovels of the 1850s soon proved ineffective in penetrating the hard rock, giving way to hand drills and black powder for blasting.

As the main shaft deepened, a large head frame and underground rail system was constructed, allowing easy transportation of miners between shifts and the removal of ore and waste rock by the tons.

Primitive crushing devices were soon replaced by stamped mills.

Each stamp at the Empire weighed 1,780 pounds, the heaviest in California, and were made special by the local foundries.

With a total of 80 stamps running 24 hours, the Empire mill processed 400 tons of ore each day.

The steam engine, which relied on the local forest for fuel, was replaced by a water wheel as the primary source of power for the mines and mills.

With the abolishment of hydraulic mining in 1884, the vast array of reservoirs, ditches, and pipelines that once provided the high-pressure water for washing away hillsides now proved useful for running compressors, mills, and pumps long before the arrival of electricity.

The Pelton water wheel, a Nevada county invention, was by far the most efficient in the world.

This 30-foot Pelton wheel is the largest ever constructed.

Driving huge compressors, it delivered more than 90 pounds of air pressure to the North Star central shaft a half mile away and is now the centerpiece of the North Star Powerhouse Mining Museum.

Keeping the mines free of water was another problem requiring constant attention.

This is the Cornish pump developed in Cornwall, England for the use in the tin and copper mines.

With an eight-foot stroke and a wooden pump rod one half mile long, the Cornish pump could remove 18,000 gallons of water in one hour.

The first use of the Cornish pump in California was right here in Grass Valley in 1855.

They were used continuously 24 hours a day for 40 years before being replaced by submersible electric pumps.

The hand drills and black powder methods of mining were upgraded once again.

Compressed air brought about the introduction of pneumatic rock drills and dynamite meant a safer and quicker means of extracting the ore.

Mules were used throughout the entire life of the Empire and North Star where they were kept in underground stables only to be brought to the surface when they were too old to work.

Carbide lamps replaced the candlesticks carried by miners for several years.

Many scientific innovations were also pioneered here.

Most important were those dealing with amalgamation or separation of gold from the ore.

Primitive methods of simply crushing and washing out the easy gold yielded only about 60% recovery leaving much of the gold in the waste material.

Through a chemical means and added processes this yield was increased to 94%.

Many of these innovations took place under the direction of William Bowers Bourn Jr.

and his team of engineers.

Here he built his palatial cottage of mine rock laced with brick which would later become known as the Bourn Mansion.

With the surrounding clubhouse, tennis courts, and beautiful gardens, the Bourn estate was the center of social activity in Grass Valley for many years.

Further owing to the success of the Empire and the Idaho Maryland was that they were each consolidation of many smaller mines and adjacent claims into one ownership and management.

Discovered in 1863, the Pennsylvania mine was a small producer.

It became a part of the Empire in 1929 and contributed greatly to the overall production.

Two miles west of Grass Valley was the North Star complex.

Discovered in 1851, the North Star experienced several ownership changes and closings until around 1900 when it began a 28-year period of large profits producing over 33 million in gold.

10% of all the gold mined in Nevada County before it also became part of the Empire in 1929.

The central shaft of the North Star mine reached the vertical depth of 4,000 feet and with the construction of a new mill some distance away, an elaborate transportation system was needed to get the ore to the mill.

The North Star purchased the Twin Cities trolley, which had run between Grass Valley and Nevada City for over 22 years when the trolley line was abandoned in 1925.

These trolley motors were used to pull the ore trains through the stamp mill and the waste rock to the waste dump.

The Nevada County narrow gauge railroad was truly the pride of the community.

Funded completely by private local investors, this 22-mile railroad offered first-class passenger service to the Transcontinental Railroad at Colfax.

For 66 years it brought in mining machinery, lumber, gasoline, heating oil, and many other essentials while hauling out more than 200 million worth of gold without so much as even an attempted robbery.

Many of the roads we use today were built by the mines for hauling equipment, supplies, and for the miners to get to work.

These roads are known to us today as Idaho Maryland, Brunswick, Allison Ranch, East Empire, and many others.

The Idaho Maryland mine was the second richest gold mine in California and it formed a romantic chapter in the history of Grass Valley and Nevada County.

The mine dates back to 1862 when it was the Idaho mine with an ore body that extended into three mines, namely the Eureka, Idaho, and Maryland.

The rich ore body, considered by geologists to be the most remarkable in mining history, made millionaires out of John and Edward Coleman, owners of the mine.

By 1893 the Idaho mine had produced 11,638,000.

However, the underground workings had reached the Maryland property line and no other ore had been discovered.

That same year a lawsuit between the Idaho and Maryland companies over the eastern extension of the Eureka, Idaho, Maryland ore shoot resulted in the Maryland company acquiring the Idaho mine for $85,000.

The mine was worked only sporadically between 1894 and 1914 due to many setbacks and the lack of sufficient financing.

In 1915 a young mining engineer by the name of Errol McFoyle became interested in the Idaho, Idaho, Maryland mine.

He and a group of associates began consolidating the Idaho, Maryland, Brunswick, Union Hill, and several other small mines into one company.

Not having the financing to reopen the Idaho, Maryland, Errol McFoyle and associates optioned the group of mines to the Metals Exploration Company in 1919.

The Metals Exploration Company changed the entire surface plant, deepened the main shaft an additional 1,000 feet, and did considerable development work.

No new ore bodies were found, so after five years and having spent two million dollars with only 500,000 in return, the Metals Exploration Company ceased operation in 1925 thinking that the mine was worked out.

Errol McFoyle and two close engineering friends Edwin Letts Oliver and Fred McNear had faith in the mine and they were able to obtain the options to regain control and keep the mine open.

McBoyle's theory of the fault system in the mine proved to be correct and new rich ore bodies were discovered and the mine went on to be one of the great ore producers in the state, producing over 46 million dollars between 1926 and 1956.

The Brunswick mine was dewatered in 1934 and this mine became an integral part of the Idaho, Maryland, Mines Corporation.

McFoyle modernized both mines by installing new steel head frames, larger hoists, and by replacing the stamped mills with the much quieter and more efficient ball mills.

The Brunswick shaft was deepened to 3,470 feet, the lower level being 3,280 feet.

The two mines were connected underground on the 2,000 foot level and the 2,700 foot level which permitted the ore to be hoisted through either shaft.

During 1938, '39, and '40 the combined mines had reached their peak in ore production with 1,000 tons a day and a payroll of 950 employees.

In 1941 war was declared and the mines were closed by the War Production Board.

This was a severe blow as approximately 80% of the underground workings of the Idaho, Maryland became inaccessible due to cave-ins and timber failure.

The mines reopened in 1945 but the high startup of cost inflated labor and material cost and the scarcity of experienced miners was almost insurmountable.

Mining continued on a greatly reduced scale until 1956 when it became impossible to operate with the price of gold pegged at $35 an ounce.

The buildings and equipment were sold to auction in 1957 with only the concrete ore bins and other concrete footings left to mark the passing of a great era.

Errol McBoyle envisioned creating a landmark estate so he purchased the Loma Rica Ranch from the Idaho, Maryland.

He enlisted landscape architect James McLaren, designer of the San Francisco's Golden Gate Park to produce designs for a Grand Loma Rica Ranch.

He built two large barns on a knoll overlooking 22 paddocks all in Kentucky bluegrass.

The barns were like palaces with a long corridor through the center.

Each stall was 15 by 15 feet with a door leading to the corridor and one to the outside.

The walls were all lined with hardwood.

He first began raising Percheron horses to show at the state fair and Los Angeles county fair.

He auctioned off the 28 Percherons in 1936 and then turned to breeding thoroughbred race horses with 24 brood mares and 20 yearlings.

Time supply and microphone, two famous race horses were obtained for stead.

To carry out his gold theme he named each fold with the prefix gold such as gold bolt, gold mic, and gold fun.

On the higher ground of the Loma Rica McBoyle built a 13 million gallon reservoir to serve water to his green paddocks and to the Idaho, Maryland and Brunswick mines.

At the inlet he fashioned a replica of the fountain of western waters that he had seen at the Golden Gate International Exposition at Treasure Island.

The fountain was outfitted with colored lights and an amplified sound system and very spectacular when in operation.

On the opposite end of the lake was a stone-faced arch-type walkway leading to a gazebo overlooking the water.

The surrounding grounds and trees made the area a place of splendor.

McBoyle spent much of his time in the gazebo enjoying this beautiful setting following his stroke in 1943.

In 1933 Errol McBoyle built an airport nearby the reservoir and for many years it was known as the Loma Rica Airport.

The private airfield was used to serve the needs of the Idaho, Maryland mine by transporting millions of dollars of gold bullion to the San Francisco mint.

He had a pilot on the payroll to fly his twin-engine Lockheed Electra.

Errol McBoyle believed in providing jobs for young people just out of high school or on vacation from college.

Several surface crews were hired for specific projects around the mine or on the ranch.

The construction of the airport was one of these projects.

Errol McBoyle was as dedicated to his community as he was to mining.

McBoyle along with Carl P.

Jones formed the Grass Valley Memorial Hospital Association to build a modern hospital for the community.

He transferred 500 shares of his mine stock into the hospital association to finance the project with his stock dividend.

By 1941 the hospital building was nearing completion when World War II began.

Construction was halted when the gold mines were closed by government order and the financing from the stock dividend ceased.

In 1943 Errol McBoyle suffered a stroke and died in 1949 not realizing his hospital dream.

Charles Litton, a pioneer in vacuum tube technology, purchased the unfinished building and property in 1953 and with his engineering labs came the first high-tech industry in Grass Valley.

The building is known today as the Litton Building.

The Grass Valley Hospital Association headed by Malcolm Hamill carried out Errol McBoyle's wishes.

By offering $200,000 of the money from the Litton sale to the community for a hospital if they would raise a like amount.

Committees were formed and the community responded generously by raising over $300,000.

The Idaho Maryland donated 10 acres of ground for the new hospital site which we all know today as the Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital.

So much of Grass Valley's rich heritage is directly attributed to the mines.

The land for Memorial Park was donated to the city by the Empire Star Mining Company providing that the citizens would develop the land into a park.

The people responded by raising the necessary money and volunteering their help.

The Empire in turn built the original swimming pool.

The park was to honor the World War veterans who fought and died during World War One and for playgrounds for the youth of the community.

The Idaho Maryland participated by constructing the community building located in the center of the park now occupied by the Video History Museum and by installing the lights for the softball diamond.

Later on the Empire donated to the city the land for the mini park located between Brighton and Butler streets.

The Empire Star Mining Company donated the North Star Powerhouse Building, the large pelt and wheel and adjoining land to the city of Grass Valley.

The building has been used by the Nevada County Historical Society for the North Star Mining Museum.

Edward Coleman, owner of the Idaho Mine and his wife were concerned for the welfare of the miners and their families.

The churches took upon their cause and the Ladies Relief Society began by helping needy families.

In 1873, Caroline Hanson, a neighbor of the Coleman's, suggested the school children bring a stick of wood, potato or a can of food.

This yearly donation day parade on the last day of school before Christmas vacation has become a tradition to treasure in Grass Valley.

Cornish miners were brought to the district soon after underground production started in 1850s.

They brought with them considerable experience from their deep underground tin mines in Cornwall.

The Grass Valley Cornish Kale Choir originated with the early Cornish miners and can be seen singing on a nationwide radio broadcast from the 2,000 foot level of the Idaho Maryland Mine on Christmas Day in 1940.

The broadcast received such enthusiastic response from all over the world that was repeated in 1941 and 1942.

The Kale Choir has been revived in recent years by the Methodist Church and women voices have been added and the choir can be seen singing on the steps of the Union Building.

One could ask what is the future of the gold mines in the Grass Valley Mining District?
These mines did not close for lack of gold but rather they were forced to shut down due to the rising cost of labor and supplies and a gold price fixed by the government at $35 an ounce.

The Empire and North Star mines worked to a vertical depth of over 7,000 feet and produced over 6 million ounces of gold at a value of over 180 million dollars.

Prior to closing, the Newmont Mining Company installed a large concrete plug in the underground crosscut connecting the Empire and North Star mines together with the intent to be able to dewater either mine separately.

The Idaho Maryland and Brunswick mines produced 2.

3 million ounces of gold at a value of 68 million dollars.

The Empire and North Star experienced a good grade of ore in their deeper levels.

Therefore, the Idaho Maryland and Brunswick have a great potential for additional ore discoveries below the levels previously worked.

All of the great gold mines in the Grass Valley Mining District have considerable ore reserves just waiting to be taken and with the present price of gold they could once again regain their original prominence.

My name is Ed Schofield.

We hope you've enjoyed your trip into Grass Valley's golden history.

Special thanks is given to those who contributed to the making of Grass Valley gold.

Jack Clark and Tim O'Brien for research and writing the script.

Ron Sturgill for filming and editing.

This video in part is sponsored by the Emperor Gold Corporation.