Nevada City, California was the host location for the Mining History Association’s annual conference in 1995.  Along with nearby Grass Valley, California, the two towns were the centers of mining in Nevada County. Starting with the Gold Rush in 1848, gold placer mining advanced from simple gold panning, through sluicing, hydraulic mining, and dredging.  Eventually, underground mining became the enduring method for producing gold.  From 1848 through 1965, the county produced $440,000,000 of gold (estimated by the California Division of Mines and Geology when gold was $35/troy ounce but worth billions at today’s prices).  Nevada City became the County Seat.  In 1985 the entire downtown area was designated a National Historic Landmark.  Its many Victorian buildings retain their Gold Rush character.  Grass Valley became the richest mining town in California because of its large, industrial, hardrock mines which continued to produce gold until 1956.  The tours conducted during this conference provided a close look at how the mining history of the area has evolved over the last century and a half.