| Browns Valley | |
| Settlement Type: | Unincorporated community |
| Pushpin Map: | California#USA |
| Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in California |
| Pushpin Image: | California Locator Map with US.PNG |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | California |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Yuba County |
| Coordinates: | 39.2422°N -121.4092°W |
| Elevation M: | 82 |
| Elevation Ft: | 269 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 95918 |
| Area Code: | 530 |
Browns Valley (also, Brown's Valley) is an unincorporated community in Yuba County, California. Browns Valley is located 12miles northeast of Marysville and is near Collins Lake.
Before the establishment of the Browns Valley community, the land was the home to the Concow Maidu and the Nisenan people.[1]
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. The name of the community was in honor of a settler who arrived in 1850 and discovered gold here. In the early days of mining in this area, gold was extracted in many different ways including hydraulic mining. The mines had to be continuous monitored because competition was high, and people would try to steal mining claims. Initially the area mined for gold, and when that ran out they mined quartz (which sometimes would encase the gold). 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.
Browns Valley was the home of the Sweet Vengeance Mine, founded by six African American men.[2] [3] 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.[4] [5] [6] In 1868, the Rare Ripe Gold and Silver Mining Company incorporated, and had an office in Marysville.
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. A post office was established at Browns Valley in 1864.