Gold Country has a history of wealth, debauchery, extravagance, greed, hard labor and violence. In the late 1800s, Northern California was a hotbed for gold mining — with raucous saloons, sophisticated hotels, bustling Main Streets, railroads and lucrative mines — where white miners and mine owners hoped to strike gold. According to the History Channel, a total of $2 billion worth of precious metal was extracted. The towns of Nevada City and Grass Valley were booming. After its peak in 1852, there was a steady decline. The hard-rock mines closed and mining towns were mostly vacated.
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