Search Nevada County Historical Archive
Enter a name, company, place or keywords to search across this item. Then click "Search" (or hit Enter).
To search for an exact phrase, use "double quotes", but only after trying without quotes. To exclude results with a specific word, add dash before the word. Example: -Word.

Collection: Books and Periodicals > Nevada County Historical Society Bulletins

Volume 030-4 - October 1976 (8 pages)

Go to the Archive Home
Go to Thumbnail View of this Item
Go to Single Page View of this Item
Download the Page Image
Copy the Page Text to the Clipboard
Don't highlight the search terms on the Image
Show the Page Image
Show the Image Page Text
Share this Page - Copy to the Clipboard
Reset View and Center Image
Zoom Out
Zoom In
Rotate Left
Rotate Right
Toggle Full Page View
Flip Image Horizontally
More Information About this Image
Get a Citation for Page or Image - Copy to the Clipboard
Go to the Next Page (or Right Arrow key)
Page: of 8  
Go
Loading...
nm, Nevada County Historical Society VOLUME 30 NO.4 OCTOBER 1976 Rough and Ready By Fay H. Dunbar Part One of Two Parts Old Independent Order of Odd Fellows Building built in 1854 Settlement “The first Township in Nevada County in which a settlement was made, and the first Township to become known to the outside world, was Rough and Ready”. Jonas Spect prospected up Deer Creek in 1848 and came thru this area but found nothing spectacular to report. He did find rich gold in the Yuba River near Timbucktoo. John Rose established a Corral near there, at a good river crossing place, early in 1849. He established a second Corral, later the same year near Penn Valley. Tho’ he did some mining Rose was primarily a Trader and Cattleman. David Bovyer established a Post at White Oak Springs, near Rough and Ready, in that same year to trade with the Indians. They traded gold at equal weight having no real idea of its value. At an election in 1850 over 1000 votes were polled in Rough and Ready and the town boasted more than 40 buildings. In 1851 it was twice the size of Grass Valley or Nevada City and missed being selected as County Seat by six votes. At one time the population reached ‘6000 souls”. Besides having many English and Portuguese there was a general mixture of allraces anda good sized community of Chinese. There is no written history of Rough and Ready except, in bits and pieces, as parts of histories of the gold country. There are still a few first generation descendants of the Pioneers living but even they will soon be lost to us. So first and almost second generations of our history are gone except for those few recorded bits. Growth Early in the 1940’s Rough and Readys population dropped to its lowest ebb, about 200 people. At this time one of the well read columnists of the day wrote this description of the old Mining Camp “-just a few shacks resting in some aging trees”. It has taken a lot of time and effort to erase the effect of this derrogatory statement. Currently, the town does not support much business. It is primarily a community of homes for the business people of Grass Valley, Nevada City, and Beale Air Force Base. There are 1.