2017-2018 Nevada County Gold Magazine 2017-2018_Nevada County Gold Magazine | Page 123

COUNTY
PIONEERS
H I S T O R Y
Leaders, entrepreneurs and
Just pLain CharaCters

Lola Montez
yard, held lavish salons, and there were
rumors she horse-whipped a local editor
for things he wrote about her. Boredom
may have been the reason Lola left Grass
Valley after two years. One thing for
certain, things were pretty lively during
her stay.
E xperienced in the hotel business ELIJAH J.
RECTOR and his brother Bayless took over
I n July of 1853, dancer LOLA MONTEZ
sailed into Grass Valley. Her arrival was met
with delight and with displeasure. The
former mistress of the King of Bavaria, Lola
was flamboyant. She had a temper, had
lovers, was on her third husband and was
known for her daring Spider Dance. Lola
purchased a home at 248 Mill St. which
has been rebuilt. She kept a bear in the
the ailing National Exchange Hotel in 1886
on a lease agreement. They become the
owners five years later. Under the Rectors,
this Nevada City landmark built in the
1850s, became the best hotel in the state
north of San Francisco. They expanded the
building and added the distinctive sec-
ond floor balcony. There was also a
large second floor dining room
where local dignitaries and their
families dined Sunday nights seat-
ed each week at the same table.
N evada City resident GEORGE KIDD was
small in stature, but contributed a huge
amount to the area’s growth. He was
involved in mining, real estate, banking and
water. He was also involved in an incident
that has gone down in history as The Big
Scare. On January 14, 1865, Nevada City’s
sheriff got wind of a plot by secessionists
from Grass Valley to sack the town. The
Light Guard met to prepare, and Kidd was
given the military trappings of a man twice
his size. He made quite a spectacle march-
ing down Broad Street in the huge uniform

John
Tinloy
founded in the 1860s. Located in
an area bounded today by Bank,
Bennett and South Auburn
Streets, the population reached
2,000. Among the prominent citi-
zens were members of the TINLOY
(TIN LOY) family. Their store, Quong
Chong Company, supplied traditional
foods and specialty items from China. It
was also a center of activity. Elderly
Chinese gathered to talk and reminisce,
others were found in the backroom
enjoying a pipe of opium. The Quong
Chong Company also served as a bank and
assumed the role of employment agency,
especially for recent immigrants.


G rass Valley’s Chinatown was
with his cartridge box striking the ground
with each step. The sheriff fortified himself
with whiskey, women and children were
sent from town, sentinels kept watch
through the night. As it turned out, there
was never any sign of the “enemy.”
National Exchange Hotel
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