Browns Valley (also, Brown's Valley) is an unincorporated community in Yuba County, California. Browns Valley is located 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Marysville and is near Collins Lake.[2]
Browns Valley | |
|---|---|
  Browns Valley Location in California  Browns Valley Browns Valley (the United States) | |
| Coordinates: 39°14′32″N 121°24′33″W / 39.24222°N 121.40917°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Yuba County |
| Elevation | 269 ft (82 m) |
| ZIP code | 95918 |
| Area code | 530 |
History
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Before the establishment of the Browns Valley community, the land was the home to the Concow Maidu and the Nisenan people.[3]
In the fall of 1849, gold was found in the township of Long Bar and along the Yuba River, only three miles away from Browns Valley.[3] The name of the community was in honor of a settler who arrived in 1850 and discovered gold here.[2] In the early days of mining in this area, gold was extracted in many different ways including hydraulic mining.[3] The mines had to be continuous monitored because competition was high, and people would try to steal mining claims.[3] Initially the area mined for gold, and when that ran out they mined quartz (which sometimes would encase the gold).[3] The Chinese and Irish immigrants that came to the area for mining work, and also worked to build rock walls across many areas of Browns Valley.[3]
Browns Valley was the home of the Sweet Vengeance Mine, founded by six African American men.[4][5] Other African American mining operations in the community included the Rare Ripe Gold and Silver Mining Company (also known as the Rare Ripe Company); and the Horncut Mine.[6][7][8] In 1868, the Rare Ripe Gold and Silver Mining Company incorporated, and had an office in Marysville.[8]
In 1863, Tensions grew over the land in this area between miners, ranchers, and Native Americans; and there was a forced removal of Native Americans to a reservation in Mendocino County.[3] A post office was established at Browns Valley in 1864.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Browns Valley, California
- ^ a b c Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 455. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
- ^ a b c d e f g D'Arcy, Roberta Sperbeck (2012). Browns Valley. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 9, 15, 18–19, 21. ISBN 978-0-7385-8896-4.
- ^ Delay, Peter J. (1924). History of Yuba and Sutter Counties, California. Los Angeles: Historic Record Company. p. 200.
- ^ Beasley, Delilah L. (1919). The Negro Trail Blazers of California (1997 ed.). New York: G. K. Hall. p. 104. ISBN 9780783814261.
- ^ "A History of Black Americans in California: Industry". Five Views: An Ethnic Historic Site Survey for California. November 17, 2004.
- ^ Savage, W. Sherman; Logan, Eloise (1977). Blacks in the West. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-313-20161-5.
- ^ a b Walker, Juliet E. K. (2009). The History of Black Business in America: Capitalism, Race, Entrepreneurship. UNC Press Books. p. 150. ISBN 978-0-8078-3241-7.