Audio tour Downtown Grass Valley Foot Patrol

NOTE: THIS TOUR IS STILL IN EDITING/PRODUCTION. ONCE IT'S FINALIZED, THIS MESSAGE WILL BE REMOVED.

Welcome to Vince Seck's Grass Valley Foot Patrol Tour. I'm Rose Murphy. And this tour is produced by Lisa Redfern, she serves on the board at Sierra College Press, and I'm co-producer, Lisa and I are both members of the Nevada County Historical Society, and also are both historical fiction authors.

As you begin this journey, we want to ensure an enjoyable experience for you and fellow walking tourists. So please remember to use earbuds and avoid using speakers.

So, Grass Valley, it wasn't always called that. It started out as Boston Ravine, and then it became Centerville, finally, in 1851, when we got a Post Office, it officially became Grass Valley.

The story goes that settlers came here, and they grazed their cattle in the lush grassy valley. That area became known as a great place to take the cattle. But it also sprung up a lot of buildings along Wolf Creek, and that's how it grew into the historic town you're about to discover. The discovery of gold brought many miners to Grass Valley and especially from Cornwall, England. By 1890, eighty-five percent of our population had Cornish roots. That Cornish heritage still shapes our town's culture today. In fact, our Cornish Christmas celebration has been lighting up the streets since 1967.

Gold Mining eventually came to an end during World War II. This had a big impact on the community and the town, but make no mistake Grass Valley owes its history to the Gold Rush and the incredible amount of gold found in the mines surrounding the town.

In this tour, our guide is Vince Seck. He's going to take you on a stroll through the historic district. Vince spent his childhood right here in Grass Valley and he dedicated 25 years to law enforcement in Nevada County.

Vince started his career at the Grass Valley Police Department back in 1958. Can you imagine how different things were then? His beat was East Main and Mill Streets. He knew those blocks like the back of his hand. And he protected businesses, directed traffic before there was even a traffic light.

People knew him by name, and he knew them. Vince's stories bring to life, the businesses that thrived here before and after the war. He'll also introduce us to some of the individuals who shaped the community.

The police department moved to its current location on Auburn Street in 1996, but you can still see remnants of the old office and jail. Throughout the tour, we'll share excerpts from local newspaper articles that highlight key events in downtown Grass Valley.

Don't forget to check out the PDF guide, which has links to all sorts of resources, articles, books, and video. (Located in Editor's note on the final tour stop.)

Most of all, enjoy our tour and check out the many options of places to delight in this beautiful historic downtown area.