The town received its name after a miner marked his claim with an American flag (in reference to the Star-Spangled Banner.)

One day in Chariot Canyon, King broke off a piece of quartz while climbing and found that it had flecks of gold inside.

[3] Several other mines such as Ready Relief, Big Blue, Warlock, Antelope, and Chaparral operated in Banner and collectively excavated millions of dollars worth of gold.

Bringing in heavy machinery for the mines proved to be a tough task as they had to be lowered via stone sleds down the Banner Gilbert Slide.

Due to an unsavory reputation in the neighboring town of Julian, Zerbe was labeled as the main aggressor and no charges were filed against Hudson.

The San Diego District Attorney is on record as stating, "It is our conclusion upon sifting [through the] facts as adduced from the reports and supplemental review[...], that no criminal complaint can be filed as a result of this incident.”[7] Nicknamed the “Chariot Canyon Massacre,” this incident is understood to be the first gold prospecting-related killing in the area since the gold rush of the late 1800s.