History of Northwich was the Stanley's, later Earls of Derby and stayed in the family’s hands until the late 18th century. That salt production continued throughout the centuries can be seen through John Leland's description of the town in 1540: Although Leland described Northwich as a market town, there is no surviving charter for a market or fair. A market still exists today. Between 1642 and 1643, during the English Civil War, Northwich was fortified and garrisoned by Sir William Bereton for the Parliamentarians. The salt beds beneath Northwich were re-discovered in the 1670s by employees of the local Smith-Barry family. The Smith-Barrys
California State Mining and Mineral Museum tunnel is a trip back through time, focusing on the lives of miners working in California's hard rock mines during the later part of the Gold Rush. It allows visitors to experience first-hand what it felt like to spend the day working inside a dark, cool and damp underground chamber, excavated from solid rock and shored up with timbers. A visit to the California State Mining and Mineral Museum offers the visitor the chance to explore the wealth of the Mother Lode, view minerals and gems from around the world, and to experience a little bit of California's mining history