Nevada City: Gold Rush Era Town & Donner Party Relics

Jeff and Sarah take this episode of History Hunters to the quaint Gold Rush era town of Nevada City in California's Nevada County and a surprise find of Donner Party relics in the town museum.
The town owes its founding to the gold mined here in the 1850s.
Jeff will check out the old fire stations, the art deco facade of City Hall built in 1937 and the Nevada County Courthouse. Stops will be made at the former assay office, the Nevada Brewery, Senator Aaron Sargent's house, Nevada Theatre, Kidd & Knox Building, National Exchange Hotel, the Pioneer Cemetery and the legendary Medicine Rock.
#nevadacity #historyhunters #californiahistory
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[@tillitrueheart971]

Such great commentary and love how you bring a town alive. Thank you, too, for pointing out the neglect of such important graves. Kudos Jeff! I never miss your vlogs and always look forward to where your travels take you next.

[@jbenziggy]

Such a great and nice comment that we pinned it to the top! Thank you so much!

[@irishgip71]

Every Sunday is our History Class, only difference between now and high school days, I’m sober and not ditching cause this class rocks!!!! 😂

[@jbenziggy]

Keep in line, now, because the teacher doesn’t want to pull out the yard stick and smack you on the knuckles! 😂😂😂

[@jonjackalone504]

@@jbenziggy😆😆😆

[@irishgip71]

@@jbenziggy😂. Wait….what! 😂😂.

[@joemcelroy2118]

Thank you for showing so much respect to our ancestors who are buried in a lot of unmarked or unkept graves. One should walk through a cemetery at least once a month to remind ourselves how fragile life is. Well done.

[@Bill-cv1xu]

Carnation milk,best in the land. Comes Inna tin with a red and white band. No teets to pull,no hay to pitch. Just poke two holes in the sonofab!+ch .😅

[@leesa7489]

I was born in Nevada City, raised in Grass Valley..I share your videos on my FB page..you do a great job

[@jbenziggy]

Awesome! Thank you for helping us to promote our videos!

[@Corgis175]

What a great historic town. I agree neglecting the pioneer section of the cemetery is disgraceful.

[@rogertemple7193]

Another awesome look at history and the stories behind them.👋🇺🇲👋

[@JamesTBearden]

Thanks Jeff and Sarah we were in Marysville and Yuba City from the 1960 until August 1969 my Dad loved to explore and was fascinated with Grass Valley/Nevada City always stopped to read a plack on the wall. We spent a lot of time camping at White Cloud campground. About 15 miles east of White Cloud there was a small grave surrounded by a white picket fence along the highway it was a child that died on a wagon train in the 1800's the state preserved it when building the highway. Thanks for the great videos. Jim Bearden in Hayward California.

[@frankmarullo228]

This , like all your other video's is fenominal ( not sure if I spelled that correct or not ) but thank you . I can't imagine how hard it must be to come up with all this information Sunday after Sunday . THANK YOU FRANK FROM MONTANA.....

[@jbenziggy]

Thanks! Phenomenal is how it’s spelled. lol. So now you had a spelling lesson to go with your history lesson! All kidding aside, we so appreciate your very supportive comments, Frank! It’s a pleasure having you be a fan!

[@frankmarullo228]

@@jbenziggy thank you Jeff , my teachers from school ( if still alive ) would be mad at me and probably would. Say " I never heard of that DUMMY ! , but Mabye just Mabye that's the way they spelled it in Walt Whitman High School in N.Y. way back in 1971 ! YA THINK ? Really I look forward to your work and my lesson on spelling every Sunday . THANK YOU FRANK FROM MONTANA......

[@CameronMcCreary]

Thanks Jeff and Sarah for showing us Nevada City. I have been there many times. I do like Grass Valley better for the classic "old town" feeling.

[@jbenziggy]

Nevada City certainly has that old town feeling as well but seems a bit smaller than Grass Valley. Thanks for the comment!

[@chemgirl1331]

What I truly wish you'd covered was the Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribe & their persistence despite the gold rush & mining in NV City. You walked RIGHT PAST 'Uba Seo, the NCR Nisenan's FREE cultural & arts center and showed the Oddfellows Hall entrance next door instead. You walked RIGHT PAST so many Nisenan baskets that aren't being returned to the Tribe, and focused only on the Donner Party items in the Fire Museum. Even a quick "these are indigenous-made basketry, of which I don't know the origin" would've been helpful to show to the audience. You were in an area, on lands of a federally unrecognized tribe that was almost pushed to extinction, continues to fight against their language going extinct, had their rancheira sold at auction wrongfully in the 1960s, and then showed unkempt cemetery plots of descendants of the same people who pushed these people to extinction----aka Sutter. What about the graves of the Nisenan, unkempt, unmarked, and sometimes mass burial sites---where they were slaughtered at the hands of folks like Sutter, or as a result of federal boarding schools? It's totally understood that you're not an expert in Indigenous topics, but you missed a whole bunch of info here, especially in this tiny town. Please consider the impact of how only showing specific parts of history is not only inaccurate, but it just is a rehash of the same thing that most historians do around here. Even with decent editing & music, this isn't NEW, but it could've been so much more if things were portrayed accurately & in a more well-rounded manner. If we are to educate those on the past, we must educate ON THE WHOLE PAST, not just select info of those who colonized this area. If you'd like reading material, here is specific info: scholars.csus.edu/esploro/outputs/graduate/Decolonizing-Sutter-County-reinterpreting-Nisenan-culture/99257831253601671#files_and_links Edit: in the off chance 'Uba Seo was closed when you were there, even just a cursory Google Search or showing the existence of the Nisenan would've been more informative than this. Learn more about the NCR Nisenan here: chirpca.org/

[@marygreer4036]

Please do a video on Nisenan history!

[@HistoryHunterSarah]

Sounds like you've done the research and have the interest to put together a presentation that we can watch and learn from. Be sure not to leave anything out.

[@ourlifeinwyoming4654]

Fascinating place. Always wanted to go - now I really want to go!

[@LorieSmith-v8w]

Great job in Nevada City Jeff and Sarah, The Donner party display is also my favorite. I have the " ordeal by hunger " which I have read several times about the Donner party.

[@barbromano9975]

What a great video. Such a wonderful city with so much history. I agree with Sara that it is disgraceful not to keep that cometary clean. Don’t people understand that when they pass, they would want someone to care for their graves.

[@helenpomerleau6455]

I'm a direct descendant of the Murphy/Foster family. The town of Marysville was named after Mary Murphy.

[@normcochran9414]

Marysville is such a beautiful town I'd pass through it many times on my way up to Chico.

[@newlam7958]

James F. Reed of Donner Party who survived the ordeal, moved to San Jose where he lived utill he died on July 24, 1874, at age 73. He is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery. His great grandson later established Reeds Sporting Goods Store in San Jose which was in business for 60 years until it closed in 2016. I think it may have reopened with a gun range at a new location. I remember Reeds Sporting goods well. It was an excellent store! It sold quality products.

[@jayforkner2692]

Kinda confused.... "Survived the ordeal" Reed had been banished and spent the winter at Fort Sutter in lieu of Donner Pass.... However, he is listed as a Donner Party survivor.

[@lonewolvesonwheels]

I use to go there to watch the bicycle races around town it was pretty exciting unlike any bike race you ever seen

[@lincolnsmom5074]

Loved the video. Would love to see more of Nevada City . Thank you for sharing .

[@marygreer4036]

I believe the Pelton Wheel in this form was invented in Nevada City.

[@karlfonner7589]

I would’ve loved to seen those Indian baskets that were in the museum as well

[@amargosaranch7794]

Jeff, In your Nevada City episode, that is a Colt Model 1878 Double Action, manufactured 1878-1905. Jim

[@LorieSmith-v8w]

Almond NY is in Allegheny county.

[@LaVaqueraMarin]

Love the old hotels!!!! GREAT SHOW!!!

[@jbenziggy]

Thanks!!!

[@philipcollins5440]

Another gr8 history lesson on Nevada City, Cal.😊

[@joeblow9931]

Great video. Up to the 16 to 1 mine in Allegheny next?

[@brianpreston3509]

Hey Jeff, maybe come by for the Sunday Steam-Up on October 13 at the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Musuem. You can see the great museum and engine house plus we willl be running everything that day from 10am-3pm.

[@jbenziggy]

Unfortunately our October has quickly filled up but that sounds like a great event! Sarah and I did get to the museum (next video).

[@privatepilot4064]

Thank you Jeff and Sarah! I always give a thumbs even before I watch it! Yeah, it’s that good!

[@jbenziggy]

You're the best! Thanks so much!

[@nhdenver7883]

Well done, Jeff! Really nice video, history lesson, and tour of the area. Thanks for taking the time to do all of this for us to enjoy!

[@jbenziggy]

My pleasure! You honor me by watching!

[@staceymay2655]

Been there one weekend vacation, learned a lot more about it walking with you. Thanks, Lovya channel.......

[@mikewhite2aadvocacy172]

It's a beautiful old town; you outdo yourself with each new video.

[@jbenziggy]

Thank you very much! I appreciate that! I’m trying to get better with time!

[@andreajohnson1796]

Catching up on your vlogs this Tuesday morning a history lesson quite early to make my day Thanks for a great lesson however I agree with Sarah its horrible WHY ? ....have a wonderful week

[@AB-ye7bw]

Enjoyed your presentation very much! Probably the number one beverage consumed while watching is coffee 😊

[@jbenziggy]

Thank you! I actually don’t drink coffee but like the aroma! Glad you like our videos!

[@dstu322]

*with Irish cream 😉

[@bill2066]

HI Jeff...you probably know already that I LOVE that song by PLUTO..Great Video again, as usual..

[@bobby-io2rr]

As usual your video brings back good memories for me. From the days I lived in grass valley Thank you so much I need to get back uo there My dad was buried at the Newcastle cemetery and I can go by there also See you next week

[@jbenziggy]

When was the last time you visited his grave, Bobby?

[@bobby-io2rr]

@@jbenziggy 10 years

[@swithinbarclay4797]

Sarah, just love it, when you LAY DOWN THE LAW, regarding the cemetery; you GO, girl!!!

[@MCW1955]

Shame on Nevada City for not taking care of the pioneer cemetery. Just because it’s not a money generating feature like a lot of the old store fronts. I’m glad your videos point things like this out. Once again, thanks to you and Sarah.

[@GinaVega-l4r]

Nice RACIST ass lil town. It would be a cool place to visit minus the Firehouse Saloon folks. Not gonna support with my money.

[@brianpreston3509]

I just moved to Smartsville, California a few weeks ago. Next time you're up this way we should get lunch or dinner. I love history just like you do. Thanks for your dedication Jeff.

[@michaelmoore7545]

Now, you have a reason to return! Living there was such a delight. I enjoy your publications!!!

[@spokanetomcat1]

Aaron Sargent's tomb would be a cenotaph? A plenipotentiary, is a person, especially a diplomat, invested with the full power of independent action on behalf of their government, typically in a foreign country. I had to look that word up

[@theburtseoni]

I'm really enjoying the tour of the 'gold mining days' towns of that part of Central California! Thanks again Jeff and Sarah for a great trip down memory lane for Nevada City!!

[@websoldier4576]

13:55 so it's his fault.

[@terryeustice5399]

Nevada City Tour is great. The National Hotel. Was very period correct. Yes these silver and Gold rush cities are very historical. You’re so right Sarah that letting the pioneer cemetery go is really criminal.And wow Herbert Hoover lived there. Cool😎

[@dsinavich5141]

Hi....love this vlog.... awesome historic town...the hotel and buildings are beautiful ...Sarah is right the old historic cemetery should be looked after ...the people buried in it...built the town....and deserve respect....thanks for vlogging this story......my grandparents old farm buildings are still standing and even though the family no longer owns the property...I would like to sneak into the old blacksmiths shop and see our old baby carriage is still there. I'm sure it is. this is back in the early 1920s...my grandparents moved there. (Not that we were born then LoL.). Deborah 🇨🇦

[@angietunstall2555]

If you could choose a time and place either anywhere in the United States or anywhere you have visited in the USA, when and where would that be? Also, what would your trades likely to have been? Questions for Jeff and Sarah both 😊 These are often asked amongst history buffs here on the UK where history goes back centuries Would you like to have been.aboatd The Mayflower when she dropped anchor for the first time, or does Sarah like the comfort of basic mod cons too much? Talk about "roughing it" over sea and not long after landing some few died. Have you covered the graveyards in that specific area, Jeff? From and including 1620, there must be the oldest, standing gravestones in the USA. Always love to learn about and see the history of the States. Thank you both 😊

[@AlbertL.Marcum]

I was born there, 1948. Thanks for visiting and sharing facts I had no knowledge of. Since infancy, I've been back only once, and that was to see the Minors Hospital where I was born.

[@jerryfountain7921]

Wow, you outdid yourselves Jeff & Sarah! This was an amazing look back in history and I love your use of the black&white photos overlayed on the current subject you are sharing with us. Sad that the pioneer cemetery isn't kept up where the most important people lay at rest. The art deco era was so cool, I was born in the wrong era! Thanks for your research and presentation, I especially liked when you faded from talking about the old buildings to the cemetery stories. See ya next Sunday!

[@richardbeee]

Always love mining history. I think that one piece was a drill. Not a hydronic nozzle. It did go by rather quickly. So couldn't identify for sure.

[@davidquinn1861]

Well I guess they're doing a hell of a lot better job than San Francisco the grave are still there in Nevada City not being transported to another town just a few weeds

[@emilybuttons6255]

Fun to learn stuff about Nevada City. I'm not sure if I've ever been but since I've found out that my dad is related to Franklin Roosevelt it is cool to hear about some of the history. (History takes on a whole new meaning when you discover people in your family and their history).

[@marydilley4455]

Wow what a great history lesson again for our Sunday afternoon. You always do such a fantastic job of bringing to light the history of a place, and remembering people. Nevada City is another place i want to visit. Thank you Jeff and Sarah!

[@vonwebber7852]

Hi Jeff and Sarah! After watching another great video, it made me think. What will the homes we grew up in, or live in now, look like in a hundred years if they survive. Will people look at them and say, wow, look how they built them then. The Modesto house I grew up in, I look at it on Google maps once in awhile, I see a few things from the street my dad did over 60 years ago. Painted the driveway green, not much left of the color. Still has the same mail box from the mid 1950's. Plus the rose bushes are still there. Thanks for keeping history alive with your videos and getting us to think about the past.

[@Dorthy-wx9fq]

The court house, I went there on my 18 th birthday and registered to vote. I was going to Nevada Union Highschool at the time. My parents picked me up at took me there, it's a very nice place.

[@rosezingleman5007]

I love the Carnegie Libraries and the cool WPA buildings too. The small-scale maintenance of cemeteries used to be something women helped do. But if you’ve come to see the patriarchy as something to be destroyed, you’re not going to care about memorials of patriarchs, even at the local level, sadly. I’m with Sarah, it should be a matter of civic pride.

[@robertcassey4014]

Good morning! Awesome little town you’ve once again blessed us with. BTW, pay no attention to the dolt trying to educate us as to what is and what is not “shiplap”. Thank you for a wonderful Sunday morning! ❤

[@alanatolstad4824]

Another great visit. I have a huge favor to ask...at the start of each visit, please show a map of where you are, especially in relation to the nearest major site. I like to know where you are, as it helps me feel like I'm traveling with you, so I always have to stop & look up placenames. ---Once again, I like that you are inserting a new variety of music! And yes, I am in agreement with the neglect in visible cemeteries. It would be a different story in long-forgotten cemeteries where there are no communities in the area. I saw the exact same scenario in Fredericksburg when my Sister & I were on vacation. Didn't understand how the 2 cemeteries were together, yet divided by a short metal fence. One tended, the other full of headstones and weeds.

[@fridgeratorsam4042]

One of my favorite old mining towns. There's a nice little railroad museum there also. A few years back in that museum with the Donner Party artifacts they actually had a few bones on display. Interesting but also creepy.

[@dianejohnson7235]

What a beautiful city!!! That old library reminds me of the one in Redlands, Ca where I was born and always considered home!!! It is still there today and where the Kimberly Clark mansion is!!! It is a beautiful town!!

[@joelhurley2678]

Jeff and Sarah thank you so much for sharing this video Nevada City California looks like a fun place to visit. I love some of the old buildings because I live in an Old Town myself that has a lot of the same nice features that that town has. Little side note about Susan B Anthony, her brother Colonel Anthony owned a home in Leavenworth Kansas and his home is still standing to this day. It was stated that she did come to visit her brother and took care of him when he was very ill for a while. Great video, and thank you so much for sharing.

[@bikerguy5829]

I hope the city leaders see your video & the disgraceful condition the cemetery is in. Maybe public opinion will get them to restore it

[@dano8203]

I’ve always enjoyed seeing where someone once lived, where they worked, where they passed away and they are buried. It’s amazing the condition of those old buildings and unfortunate of the condition of its pioneer cemetery.

[@angiebeasworrick6569]

Thanks for the memories. We have visited Nevad city several times, and it was wonderful seeing the old buildings again.

[@sside8]

Great history video, Jeff! Did they have a lot of fires in those days because they used oil lamps and candles for lighting? Or was it something else that mainly started the fires?

[@Karistratton]

I live in nevada city and sometimes you forget how beautiful our buildings are when you're busy with everyday life! The first small building in the beginning was a run down stable when i was a kid, never heard it was a grocery store. It was falling apart and they restored it around 20 years ago. Thanks!

[@the4thj]

I remember a saying, "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country" Graveyard upkeep.

[@WayneKline]

Another great video Jeff and Sarah, well done, especially the editing. I agree with Sarah, it is disgusting how they have let the pioneer cemetery go into such a state of disrepair.

[@lendillon5086]

Thank you. This touched my heart when I saw the graveyard in such despair. I just proves life on earth is short and one should make the most of it.

[@jimeaton805]

Thank You, wish more people were thoughtful of their local history and respect people who built their communities and past on.

[@rcdyer]

Nice to see the ol place again. Lived there for a while back in the mid late seventies with my dad and family. He actually owned a restaurant in the middle of town for 2 or 3 years.

[@whatsaroundthebend]

This was a great video! I have to get out to California sometime. I love towns that maintain their history and always think about all the lives lived in these places. The world is definitely a different place now. I would love to step back in time and experience it first hand. I agree with Sarah as well, I hate to see cemeteries neglected like that. Thanks for all the work you put into your videos. AL

[@bryan565656]

Great town. I’ve heard Hoover had ties to it, I’m surprised there wasn’t a marker for where he lived. But then again, a lot of miners lived in boarding houses in those days.

[@marylouruss1087]

Really enjoyed the trip and i agree with Sarah about the graves not takencare of, Very sad. Thanks for the trip and take care. Byeee

[@43JohnDeere]

Your commentary at 11:23...Wow...very powerful and well said. You keep exceeding yourself with better and better content every time.

[@rhondaz356]

This was a great tour of Nevada City. Thank you for showing us the present, as well as pointing out the historical perspectives. It was all so informative. I find the Donner Party info so riveting, too. I enjoy all of those, old photos, as well, Jeff. I love it when you include them, hard as I know as they must be to get... I have to agree with Sarah's assessment of part of the cemetery. This was all so interesting. Thank you both so much, for another great video, including all of the research, and on site visits, Jeff and Sarah. 🏡🙏🏻🤠👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@marydilley4455]

I agree with Sarah! Take care of the pioneer's graves! Respect those who went before us and helped to make what we have today possible. ❤

[@161papa]

Wonderful video, I am going to add Navada City to my next road trip. And it's never too early for Halloween.

[@HollywoodGraham]

Nice looking town, got to get up there and see for myself one day. Sad that the neglected old historic cemetery is not kept up. Thanks for all your efforts in filming and research.

[@warrenjansen7096]

Sarah is correct. It is a shame to see cemeteries and graves treated like that! I would like to see the local schools take over these neglected sites. What a great way to give to the community, learn and show respect to the people, and learn something about the people that helped shape the town they live in today, because some tomorrow, they might just be sharing the adjoining plot of dirt!

[@juliecoffin5371]

Nevada city is beautiful. I wish you'd mentioned more about the Nisenan

[@reginamay2767]

Hi jeff and sarah, I love love this history, I love little towns and the history behind this is awesome you did a great job. You are so right sarah I agree about the way the city has let the older cemetary go in decay. So sad to know all of that has gone to be forgotten by the city. Thankyou for covering this segment sarah and jeff. I enjoyed the ride along.

[@f688xt6]

Since I moved to Missouri, you've been showing towns I lived near or in for the vast amount of my life. I appreciate your work and interest in the Nevada/Placer/El Dorado counties and the recording of these places for posterity. Next time you come to Missouri, maybe you could educate me of the history I missed here when I was educated in CA.

[@Grumpy63uk]

I totally agree with Sarah and the old cemetery. Once on top of it would only take a few hours a month to keep up with the maintenance 🤔😤🤨🇬🇧

[@robertc.delmedico6242]

Well done!! I agree with Sarah! They should protect the heritage of our forefathers!!

[@FlopSter-i1o]

Thank you so much for another tour of California's Gold Rush Country. I miss that area so much!

[@haroldnelson3734]

It was heartening to hear Sarah express her candid feelings about the condition of the historical part of the cemetery.

[@grandprixdriver]

One of my favorite places to visit. used to go an taste wine there. nevada City Winery. some good wine.

[@HZaP]

Great Video Jeff and Sarah! Grew up in Camp Meeker, live in Sonora. I have a saloon token from Sierra Nevada Saloon, Nevada City Ca Good for 5 cents in trade. Happen to see where it stood? Thanks for sharing 👍

[@lelandkelley2199]

Critical western history your keeping alive, thank you !

[@robertdupere4640]

I grew up in Nevada City, Grass Valley glad it’s still has a lot of old buildings

[@redwhiteblue7831]

Great video on Nevada City... Lots of history there. I'm glad to see it still thriving. Sarah made a very good point on the cemetery. It needs to be cleaned... out of respect for the founders of that city. Thank you for sharing. Take care Jeff and Sarah. 🇺🇸

[@johnpeddicord4932]

Thanks for sharing, Jeff and Sarah

[@jbenziggy]

Our pleasure!

[@nonamenoname5871]

That is sad, people of history are forgotten and their graves are unkempt. These people are our history and help form this nation.

[@larrymiller8210]

Thanks! Enjoyed this very much as always.

[@1252905Dotty]

I agree with Sarah. They need to care for the gravesites of the people who made California what it is today!

[@skimmer8774]

I want to find out more about that water powered elevator. And yeah the Outside Inn is funny 😊.

[@BrianStorey-j5n]

One of our favorite places, ,,,experienced a haunt or 2 in The Firehouse

[@cindystalkup952]

Fun!! I know someone that lives in that city. I can see how she loves the charm

[@donbrown3599]

Great show. Sarah is correct about the old and new cemetery " clean up the old one. My grand parents are at a cemetery in Oregon that is needed to be cleaned up.

[@robertahrens9481]

Thank u. It's been along time since I have been to Nevada city.

[@paulbegley1464]

I heard about Hoover working in the mining industry from another U TUBER