Near Amador City in Amador County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Bunker Hill Mine

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, March 27, 2011

1. Bunker Hill Mine Marker

Inscription. The mine was first worked as the Rancheria Mine in 1853. Was renamed the South Mayflower in 1893. It was organized in 1899 as the Bunker Hill Consolidated Mine and operated till 1922, producing $5,154,382 in gold. The shaft reached 3440’ on an incline with a winze. It had a 40 stamp mill.

Erected 2004 by Sutter Creek Promotion Committee and Amador County Sesquicentennial Commission. (Marker Number 15.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Natural Resources. In addition, it is included in the California - Sutter Creek Gold Mine Trail series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1853.

Location. 38° 25.47′ N, 120° 49.471′ W. Marker is near Amador City, California, in Amador County. Marker is at the intersection of Bunker Hill Road and Fremont Mine Road on Bunker Hill Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Amador City CA 95601, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Amador City Cemetery (approx. 0.3 miles away); Original Amador Mine (approx. 0.3 miles away); Imperial Hotel (approx. 0.4 miles away); Treasure Mine (approx. 0.4 miles away); Keystone Mine (approx. half a mile away);

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South Spring Hill Mine (approx. 0.8 miles away); Fremont-Gover Mine (approx. 0.9 miles away); New Chicago (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Amador City.

Regarding Bunker Hill Mine. Amador County’s Gold Mine Trail was established as part of the Amador County Sesquicentennial celebration in 2004. It is a 15 mile driving tour of some of the county’s 300+ gold mines. There are 18 stops on the tour of which Bunker Hill Mine is the fifteenth.
From the Gold Mine Trail booklet: “After the placer gold rush of 1848-50, miners began to dig into the earth and rock to uncover gold imprisoned in quartz rocks’ deep veins. The largest vein was the Mother Lode between Yosemite (Oakhurst) and Georgetown in El Dorado County. The 20-mile stretch for the Mokelumne River to the Cosumnes River was the richest, producing some $160 million in gold between 1851 and 1942 (current value $5 billion).
The first hard rock mines were found in Amador County in 1851. The original Ministers’ claim and the Spring Hill were soon followed by many others: Lincoln, South Spring Hill, Keystone, Original Amador, and Eureka.
By the 1870s-80s Amador County

Bunker Hill Mine Marker and Headframe image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, April 27, 2011

2. Bunker Hill Mine Marker and Headframe

was working 300+ mines. There were some tunnels, but later incline and vertical shafts reached down a mile into the ground. The Kennedy and Argonaut were close to 6,000’ deep. Headframes crowned shafts and stamp mills processed and crushed the ore. Some mines were worked by their founders but most were sold time and again and were improved or went bust. Large American and foreign companies traded in stock and ran the mines from afar.
Workers came from all over the world to look and work for gold. Most were from Europe: Italy, Yugoslavia, and Cornwall. Many stayed on the settle towns, marry and, raise families. Some mines vanished over the years; others still exist. Of the 300-400 mines, only eight headframes still stand, but may foundations, shafts and surface works remain.”

Bunker Hill Mine Headframe. image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, June 6, 2011

3. Bunker Hill Mine Headframe.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 26, 2018. It was originally submitted on July 15, 2011, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 1,485 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 15, 2011, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.