| 1849 |
Quartz mining began at the Mariposa Mine, Mariposa County. A stamp mill, probably the first in the state, was installed. |
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| 1850 |
Gold-bearing quartz was found at Gold Hill at Grass Valley. This led to the development of the great underground mines in that district and a major industry that continued for more than 100 years. |
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| 1851 |
Gold was discovered in Greenhorn Creek, Kern County. This discovery led to the rush to the upper Kern River region. |
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| 1852 |
California's annual gold production reached an all-time high of $81 million. |
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| 1852 |
Hydraulic mining began at American Hill just north of Nevada City, Nevada County, and Yankee Jims, Placer County. |
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| 1852 |
The first extensive underground mining of buried river channels commenced in the Forest Hill district, Placer County. |
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| 1853 |
The placers at Columbia, Tuolumne County, began to yield vast amounts of gold. This continued until the early 1860s. At that time Columbia was one of the largest cities in the state. |
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| 1853 |
The Fraser River Gold Rush in British Columbia caused a partial exodus of miners form the state. |
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| 1854 |
A 195-pound mass of gold, the largest known to have been discovered in California, was found at Carson Hill, Calaveras County. |
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| 1855 |
The rich surface placers were largely exhausted by this date, and river mining accounted for much of the state's output until the early 1860s. All of the rivers in the gold regions were mined. |
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| 1859 |
The famous 54-pound Willard nugget was found at Magalia, Butte County. |
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| 1859 |
The Comstock silver rush began in Nevada. This development caused a large exodus of gold miners from California. However, it stimulated gold and silver prospecting in eastern and southeastern California. |
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| 1864 |
By this time California's gold rush had ended. The rich surface and river placers were largely exhausted; hydraulic mines were the chief sources of gold for the next 20 years. |
