When Conrad Reed skipped church one Sunday morning to go fishing, he stubbed his toe on a very heavy rock in Little Meadow Creek (near present day Concord). The year was 1799. He carried the heavy, yellow rock home where it served as a doorstop for over two years. The heavy rock turned out to be a 17-pound gold nugget. Soon, gold mines---some extremely productive---popped up all over Piedmont NC.