Brad Prowse

Hard-rock, High-grading and Harlots: Tales of Nevada County in the Days of Gold Brad Prowse

The following book is a compilation of articles I have written mostly on the early days of Nevada County. A Hayward, California boy myself, I remember that town before the freeways and developers, when it was small and bucolic. I moved to Nevada County in 1966 to allow my children to experience much the same atmosphere. Struck by the historical richness of the place, I have been writing of her over the past thirty years. This tome starts out with a piece written for the GRASS VALLEY UNION newspaper to celebrate the 100th year of Grass Valley's formal (incorporated) existence. It will give you a good feel for the development of the area over the years. The other articles are a hodgepodge of stories about Nevada County. Between the various chapters, I have included samples from a monthly article I write for the UNION. These were gleaned from the UNION archives of 100 years ago and now deposited in the Nevada County Historical Society's Nevada City library. You may find these vignettes of Nevada County circa 1896-1910 amusing. It's what our ancestors were interested in and its surprising how cosmopolitan Nevada County was, considering its remoteness.