Nevada County was the richest and largest gold-producing county of California. From the beginning of the 1849 Gold Rush until the last quartz mine closed in the 1956, gold was the number-one industry in Nevada County. Not everyone came to California for the gold—some came for the rich and plentiful land available and the opportunity for a better life. After the Gold Rush was deemed over by historians, it was the fertile land of California that became known as the state's Second Gold Rush. Of the 10 soil types found around the world, California has all 10. Producing farms and ranches, small and large, made agriculture Nevada County's third-largest industry after gold mining and the lumber. But of the three important industries, only agriculture has survived and is thriving today. Many of the pioneer, multigenerational ranches and farms continue to operate today on the land their owners' ancestors worked. These ranches have a rich history of contributing to the economic community as well as conserving the land for future generations.
Maria E. Brower, author of the Images of America volumes Nevada City and Gold Rush Towns of Nevada County, is the former manager of the Doris Foley Library for Historical Research in Nevada City. She also serves on the board of the Nevada County Historical Society, edits its quarterly bulletin, and was the founder of the Nevada County Genealogical Society.