Early in the 1870s, gold was discovered here by a group of four men led by Mahogany Jack.  In the 1880s gravel from Placerites was hauled to rockers at Rabbithole Springs until water was brought into the district from Cow Creek in 1890.

Large scale mining took place in 1929 when the Newmont Mining Company acquired 4,000 acres here.  They also built a large reservoir, tanks, and a dragline scraper to mine the gravel.  A store and speakeasy were erected, but all mining ceased by 1942.