Holcomb's discovery spurred the largest gold rush in the Southern California region.

After Holcomb and Ben Ware filed mine claims on five sites in May 1860 at the County Recorder's office, word spread quickly and prospectors rushed to the area.

The story goes that Belleville residents felt they deserved the honor of being the county seat and placed this measure on the ballot in either 1860 or 1861.

When the count was completed, Belleville had lost the county seat election by a slim margin of two votes.

There is also no mention of the election or missing ballots in Holcomb's recollections which were written in the 1870s only a few years later at the behest of the San Bernardino Pioneer Society.

[4][5] Holcomb Valley produced the most wealth from gold of any Southern California mining district.