Maidu Indians had made this valley their home for generations until gold was discovered on the Yuba River on June 2, 1848, by Jonas Spect, disrupting their way of life forever. Miners flocked to the area and mined up and down the banks of the Yuba. In 1850, while Mr. Brown was using his new $80 scythe, he accidentally cut into a large reef of quartz, exposing a rich vein of gold. He immediately staked his claim and began mining, eventually taking out over $12,000. Mr. Brown later left the area, leaving only his name to give the place the name Brown's Valley.