Site of One of the First Discoveries of Quartz Gold in California

This is where the gold rush stopped being something a man could do alone. Placer gold lies loose in gravel and needs a pan; gold locked in quartz needs shafts, stamp mills, capital and a payroll. George Knight's 1850 find on Gold Hill turned prospectors into employees within a decade. The tablet is unusually honest about its own claim, conceding that quartz gold was probably noticed here and elsewhere earlier, and resting its case on the excitement rather than the priority.

What the plaque says

This tablet commemorates the discovery of gold-bearing quartz and the beginning of quartz mining in California. The discovery was made on Gold Hill by George Knight, October, 1850. The occurrence of gold-bearing quartz was undoubtedly noted here and elsewhere about the same time, or previously, but the above discovery created the great excitement that started the development of quartz mining into a great industry. The Gold Hill Mine from 1850 to 1857 is credited with a total production of $4,000,000.00

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Empire Mine State Historic Park — 1.5 mi
  The oldest, deepest, richest hard-rock gold mine in California, with 367 miles of flooded tunnels underneath.
• Nevada City — 4.5 mi
  Gaslamps, brick storefronts, and the Nisenan who are still fighting to be recognized on their own ground.
• Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park — 14 mi
  A canyon washed out of a mountain by water cannon, and the lawsuit that ended hydraulic mining.

More markers nearby

• Mount Saint Mary's Convent and Academy — 0.3 mi
• North Star Mine Powerhouse — 0.3 mi
• Home of Lola Montez — 0.4 mi
• Home of Lotta Crabtree — 0.5 mi