Editing Grass Valley, California (section)

==History==
[[File:Grass Valley Geologic Map.jpg|thumb|left|Grass Valley [[geological map]], and the location of the North Star, Empire, and Maryland mines]]

Grass Valley, which was originally known as Boston Ravine and later named Centerville, dates from the [[California Gold Rush]], as does nearby [[Nevada City, California|Nevada City]]. Gold was discovered at [[Gold Hill (Nevada County, California)|Gold Hill]] in October 1850 and population grew around the mine. When a post office was established in 1851, it was renamed Grass Valley the next year for unknown reasons. The town was [[municipal corporation|incorporated]] in 1860.<ref name="durham">{{cite book|title=California's Gold Country: Includes Mariposa, Tuolumne, Calaveras, Amador, El Dorado, Placer, Sierra & Nevada Counties|last=Durham|first=David L.|year=2000|publisher=Quill Driver Books|location=[[Clovis, California]]|isbn=978-1-884995-25-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3UzX2WzeX0IC&pg=PA133|page=133}}</ref>

The essential history of Grass Valley mining belongs to the North Star, Empire and Idaho-Maryland mines, for continuous production over a span of years. From 1868 until 1900, the Idaho-Maryland mine was the most productive in the district. From 1900 until 1925, the North Star and the Empire produced the most gold in the county. In 1932, the Empire and North Star were physically connected at the 4600-foot level and 5300-foot level.<ref>{{cite web |title=The gold quartz veins of Grass Valley, California, USGS Professional Paper 194 |url=https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/pp194 |access-date=March 24, 2022 |last1=Johnston |first1=J.D. |date=1940|doi=10.3133/pp194 }}</ref>

Grass Valley has the [[Empire Mine]] and [[North Star Mine]], two of California's richest mines. George Starr, manager of the Empire Mine, and [[William Bowers Bourn II]], the owner, donated mine property which became Memorial Park.<ref name=McQuiston>McQuiston, F.W., 1986, Gold: The Saga of the Empire Mine, 1850–1956, Grass Valley:Empire Mine Park Association, {{ISBN|9780931892073}}</ref>{{rp|42}} Wiliam Bourn Jr. had taken over management of the Empire Mine in 1878 after his father's death, replacing water power with steam. In 1884, Bourn purchased and rejuvenated the North Star mine.  The Idaho and Maryland mines were consolidated by Samuel P. Dorsey in 1893. In 1925, Errol MacBoyle acquired the Idaho-Maryland. By 1938, the Idaho-Maryland was the second largest gold producer in the country. However, gold mining operations in the area ended during [[WWII]], due to [[War Production Board]] Limitation Order 208. After the war, renewed operations were attempted, but according to Gage McKinney, "by the mid-1950s mining was no longer profitable in what had been the richest gold mining district in California."<ref>{{cite book |last1=McKinney |first1=Gage |title=MacBoyle's Gold |date=2016 |publisher=Comstock Bonanza Press |location=Santa Rosa |isbn=9780933994614 |pages=52–53,73–75,119–123,273–281,339}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=I-M Project History |url=https://www.risegoldcorp.com/i-m-project-history |publisher=Rise Gold Corp |access-date=March 25, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Shanahan |first1=Dennis |last2=Taraya |first2=Jonathan |title=The new gold rush: Historic Grass Valley mine could yield modern-day discovery |date=March 10, 2022 |url=https://fox40.com/news/local-news/company-considering-reopening-gold-rush-era-mine-in-grass-valley/ |publisher=Nexstar media Inc. |access-date=March 25, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Clark |first1=Jack |title=Gold in Quartz: The Legendary Idaho Maryland Mine |date=2005 |publisher=Comstock Bonanza Press |location=Grass Valley |isbn=0933994311 |pages=98–100}}</ref>

Many of those who came to settle in Grass Valley were tin miners from [[Cornwall]], United Kingdom. Most arrived between 1860 and 1895, composing three quarters of Grass Valley's population.<ref>{{cite web |title=Gold Mining Lore |url=https://www.nevadacitychamber.com/history/gold-mining/#:~:text=At%20one%20time%2C%2075%20percent,influx%20was%20from%201860%2D%201895. |publisher=Nevada City Chamber of Commerce |access-date=March 24, 2022}}</ref>

After the Civil War ended and news of death of President Lincoln many in the town rejoiced. When these acts of celebration were heard by [[1st California Cavalry Battalion|1st Battalion of Native Cavalry]] they sent out a detachment of 25 men. Commanded by [[Second Lieutenant M. E. Jimenez]], the detachment rode into town and got into a skirmish with 10 locals. Two troopers were wounded in the action. The soldiers arrested all 10 of the rebels and took them to [[Camp Low]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=California and the Civil War: Regiments of the California Volunteers in Federal Service: 1st Battalion of Native Cavalry |url=https://militarymuseum.org/1stNatCavCV.html#26 |access-date=2024-09-17 |website=militarymuseum.org}}</ref>

Grass Valley still holds on to its [[Culture of Cornwall|Cornish heritage]], with events such as its annual Cornish Christmas and [[St. Piran's Day]] celebrations.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://theunion.com/article/20080310/NEWS/940777161|title=Flight of the pasty|last=Moberly|first=Greg|date=March 10, 2008|publisher=The Union|access-date=March 12, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080314093417/http://www.theunion.com/article/20080310/NEWS/940777161|archive-date=March 14, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Pasty|Cornish pasties]] are a local favorite dish with a few restaurants in town specializing in recipes handed down from the original immigrant generation. Grass Valley is also twinned with [[Bodmin]] in [[Cornwall]] (UK).

There was formerly a (short-lived) [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Grass Valley]]<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D2oQAAAAIAAJ&q=orphanage+%22grass+valley%22&pg=PA294|title=The Catholic Encyclopedia|access-date=August 1, 2008|last=Herbermann|first=Charles George|pages=294|year=1913|publisher=Universal Knowledge Foundation}}</ref> in 1868–1884, later relocated in [[Sacramento]] (and now a [[titular see]]).

The Grass Valley [[Kmart]] store, opened in 1981, was the last remaining location in California at the time that it closed in 2021. It is now a [[Target Corporation|Target]] department store.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kmart.com/stores/california/grass-valley/9746.html|title=Kmart }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=June 23, 2021|title=Attention, Kmart shoppers: This Northern California city will have the state's last store|url=https://www.kcra.com/article/last-california-kmart-grass-valley/36813692|access-date=October 7, 2021|website=KCRA|language=en}}</ref>