Ranches and Agriculture in Nevada County

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. O...