"Properties of the North Star Gold Mining Company, Grass Valley, California"

James Marshall’s discovery of gold along the American River on January 24, 1848 forever transformed California. Thousands of migrants from around the globe rushed to the Mother Lode region of the Sierra Nevada in search of riches. The North Star Gold Mining Company,one of the largest producers of gold in the state during the nineteenth century, mined the so-called North Star (or French Lead) vein in the Grass Valley area, discovered in 1851. The mine ultimately reached 4,000 feet of vertical depth, making it the deepest mine in the Grass Valley Gold District. This drawing shows the company's properties as they existed in 1868. Identification Information: F3735:2353, Department of Natural Resources, Division of Mines and Geology.