A number of homes in Nevada County, western foothills of California's Sierra Nevada--the heart of historic hydraulic gold mining territory during the mid to late 1800s--have fireplaces constructed of petrified wood collected from local exposures of middle Eocene auriferous gravels left behind at the neighboring hydraulic pits. Top to bottom--fireplaces at private residences in Grass Valley and Nevada City, respectively, Nevada County, California--structures "hewn" from petrified wood gathered from the nearby middle Eocene auriferous gravels. Photographs courtesy anonymous individuals at specific web sites.

Please Note: All fossil sites in the auriferous gravels are off-limits without permission from the landowners.