The quest for gold led to the establishment of Norseman. Today there are a number of small goldmining operations in the area. Gold was first found in the Norseman area in 1892 about 10 km south of the town, and the "Dundas Field" was proclaimed in August 1893 and a townsite gazetted there. In July 1894, Lawrence Sinclair and his horse "Norseman" discovered a rich gold reef which Sinclair named for his horse. In January 1895, the mining warden asked the Government to declare a townsite for the 200 or so miners who had arrived - it was gazetted the same year. The Aboriginal name for the area is "Jimberlana".
Norseman was once the second-richest goldfield in Western Australia, next to the Golden Mile of Kalgoorlie. It is claimed that since 1892, over 100 tonnes of gold have been extracted from the area.
