Although Copperopolis is known for copper mining, gold was discovered here in 1858 and copper in 1860. The gold belt was a mile west of the copper belt. The Madame Felix Mining District produced 200,000 ounces of gold between 1864 and 1974. In 1986, Meridian Gold Co. consolidated the Madame Felix Mining District into a new gold mining operation, producing more than 300,000 additional ounces of gold. Equipment used from the 1880s through World War I came from the mines within the Madame Felix District.