Sierra Valley was discovered in 1851 by James P. Beckwourth, a mountain man and entrepreneur searching for a northern route across the Sierra Nevada. Although prospectors exploring the nearby Sierra Buttes had sighted the valley a year earlier, Beckwourth was the first non-Indian to enter it. The valley’s history centered on its abundant natural resources. During the California gold rush, Sierra Valley produced hay for livestock in Downieville, Sierra City, and the gold fields to the west. After silver was discovered in Nevada in 1859, new markets opened to the east. Lumber from nearby mountains helped build Virginia City and support extensive mine shaft networks, while hay, beef, and dairy products from the valley helped feed the silver seekers in the Comstock Mining District. Many of these exports were produced by Swiss-Italian immigrants whose knowledge of mountain agriculture was especially suited to this high valley. Descendants of these pioneers still live in Sierra Valley today.