Word leaked out that gold had been found, and within two years Sterlingville was home to over 800 people.

[4] As the source of Sterling Ditch was 120 feet (37 m) above the mine, it used gravity to propel water through three 5-inch (13 cm) nozzles.

Captain A. P. Ankeny, owner of the Sterling Mine Company, collected over $64,000 from gold.

[4] The Sterlingville post office was built in 1879, but as the gold ran out, the population of the town declined.

[2][4] The mines devastated the surrounding landscape, washing away nearly all the soil, and moving piles of rocks downstream.