Gold mining began here even before the California gold rush. Exploitation and excavation of land led to the eviction of Native Americans from the area. After all, the depletion of the land led to a lack of food and territory.
Settlements of gold diggers began to appear here in the forties of the 19th century. And in the middle of the 19th century, granite was also mined here.
With the construction of the Transcontinental Railway, the economy and development of the city were closely related to this.
In the sixties of the 19th century, the population of the city was 440 people. 16 percent of whom were from Ireland and worked in mines.
It is believed that the city obtained its name from the active mining of granite on its territory and in the surrounding area.
In 1869, railway workers from China began to grow vegetables and fruits here, which were then sold to local residents. They were driven out during the anti-Chinese pogrom of September 1876, but the area was still known as China Gardens as of 1974.