Before the establishment of the Browns Valley community, the land was the home to the Concow Maidu and the Nisenan people.[3]
In the fall of 1849, gold was found in the township of Long Bar and along the Yuba River, only three miles away from Browns Valley.[3] The name of the community was in honor of a settler who arrived in 1850 and discovered gold here.[2] In the early days of mining in this area, gold was extracted in many different ways including hydraulic mining.[3] The mines had to be continuous monitored because competition was high, and people would try to steal mining claims.[3] Initially the area mined for gold, and when that ran out they mined quartz (which sometimes would encase the gold).[3] The Chinese and Irish immigrants that came to the area for mining work, and also worked to build rock walls across many areas of Browns Valley.[3]
Browns Valley was the home of the Sweet Vengeance Mine, founded by six African American men.[4][5] Other African American mining operations in the community included the Rare Ripe Gold and Silver Mining Company (also known as the Rare Ripe Company); and the Horncut Mine.[6][7][8] In 1868, the Rare Ripe Gold and Silver Mining Company incorporated, and had an office in Marysville.[8]
In 1863, Tensions grew over the land in this area between miners, ranchers, and Native Americans; and there was a forced removal of Native Americans to a reservation in Mendocino County.[3] A post office was established at Browns Valley in 1864.[2]
^ abcDurham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 455. ISBN1-884995-14-4.