EXPLORE FURTHER

The Cornish migration to Grass Valley began in 1849 with the discovery of Gold. However, most of the Cornish population arrived during the l870’s. The miners from Cornwall, in the British Isles, were famous for their success as tin miners. The Cornish were not interested in placer mining and were very proud of their skills as hardrock miners.

When the Cornish people were hired at a mine they would ask their employer if he had a job for their “Cousin Jack.” The term Cousin Jack and Jenny referred to a Cornish miners' relatives. They wanted to bring their family members to the United States. At one time, three-fourths of the population of Grass Valley was Cornish.

The Cornish men were considered to be the best lode miners in the world. They brought their special skills and knowledge to the hardrock mines. The Cornish Pumps allowed miners to remove excess water from inside the mines. They worked in the local hardrock mines twenty-four hours a day. Each time Cornish miners left for work they carried their lunch in round metal buckets that were divided into three sections. They liked to carry tea in the bottom section, a pastie (meat pie) in the middle section, and a dessert in the top section. Here is a list of a few pies they liked: Fish pie, Herby Pie, Lamby Pie, Piggy Pie, and Muggety Pie.

After a hard day of work Cornish miners enjoyed watching their favorite sport of wrestling. The wrestling matches took place near the Narrow Gauge Railroad Depot in Grass Valley. They also enjoyed music and often sang their native traditional songs. In 1853 the Cornish people of Grass Valley started the Cornish Carol Choir. There were only men and boys in the choir. Every year at Christmas-time they went into the mine and sang their traditional carols. However, women were not allowed inside the mine because the Cornish were very superstitious. In l940 the choir sang on a radio broadcast. They sang while underground at the 2,000 foot level, in the Idaho Maryland Mine.

Cornish Today
Since that time the choir has continued singing only traditional Cornish Carols. Today the choir is directed by Eleanor Kenitzer at the Methodist Church in Grass Valley. During Christmas our classroom invited the Cornish Choir to our school as part of our community project. They sang their traditional songs and told about the history of the choir. If you visit our area during the Christmas season you will see the Cornish Choir wearing traditional costumes at the Cornish Christmas celebration in the streets of Grass Valley.

Our sister cities are located in Cornwall. The city of Penzance is the sister city of Nevada City and the city of Bodmin is the sister city of Grass Valley. Our community continues to visit and share with our distant global neighbors across the sea.

Cornish Culture and Achievements