Crushing ore played a major role in the gold refining process. Different types of crushing methods were employed and changed with the times. Arrastras used a circular floor of tightly laid blocks of stone as a grinding surface. Ore was spread thinly . . . — — Map (db m109836) HM
The text of this marker is unreadable because of the reflection of the sun, but from the "Custer: A walking guide" brochure; "This building was built during the 1930's when many unemployed men and their families occupied the deserted town and . . . — — Map (db m109833) HM
The difficult work of mining required the use of many rugged and reliable tools that could stand up to the physical demands of day-to-day use. It was also a necessity to have equipment that was simple enough to be repaired and maintained on site. . . . — — Map (db m109868) HM
Custer boasted many different types of businesses including a brewery, carpenter shop, butcher shop, dentist, lawyer, barbershop, post office, general stores, hotels , boarding houses and saloons. The west end of town served as the business district . . . — — Map (db m109905) HM
The vibrating jig liberated the heavy minerals from most of the lighter waste material as water was forced upward through a screen with a shot bed consisting of lead shot or old nuts and bolts. Pulsating action combined with water caused the lighter . . . — — Map (db m109867) HM
Businesses in Chinatown included laundry services, a harness and shoe shop and a Chinese place of worship known as a joss house. A few residents made a living by growing vegetable gardens or raising pigs and chickens and then selling them to miners, . . . — — Map (db m109945) HM
Social gathering places for women were less available than for men at Custer. It was not acceptable for nice women to enter saloons or gaming establishments. Most of the socializing for women took place at socials held in homes, at the post office, . . . — — Map (db m109941) HM
Yankee Fork residents found few comforts and many hardships due to their remote location. Snow slides, work-related accidents, and disease combined with the lack of medical services created a difficult lifestyle. Evidence of this location is the . . . — — Map (db m109786) HM
Searching a hillside across the Yankee Fork in August of 1876, James Baxter, Eldon Dodge and Morgan McKim stumbled upon a rich vein of ore, exposed by a snow slide, that became the most famous mine on the Yankee Fork. Named after the popular . . . — — Map (db m109946) HM
The jail at Custer seldom housed a criminal and was unique in its construction. The walls were 2" x 6" lumber laid flat on top of each other similar to log buildings. The floor and ceiling had the same size boards laid on edge. One small barred . . . — — Map (db m109869) HM
" Jennie Smith, Mae Dellen, Lida Pfeitter, Stella Mavity, and Emma Mallm, think their selves smart they put them little kids up to that, and If that Sade Smith bothers me I will pound the stuffing out of her also Gladys, Annie and Josie." (sic) . . . — — Map (db m109830) HM
After a hard day of work, many townspeople sought rest, refreshment and entertainment. There was no shortage of drinking establishments in Custer and, at times, no shortage of consumers. At least five saloons were in operation at one time. The . . . — — Map (db m109870) HM
Snow slides were common during the winter months but none so tragic as on February 2, 1890. At 8pm the steam whistle on the Custer Mill shrieked the alarm, alerting the town of treacherous slides. One slide crashed down Bald Mountain and flooded the . . . — — Map (db m109831) HM
First mention of a livery stable appeared in R.L. Polk's 1902 Business Directory, listing Kenneth McKenzie as owner. To keep a horse cost $1.50 per day. Feed bought in over the 24-mile "hay trail" from Stanley Basin contributed to the high . . . — — Map (db m109898) HM
In 1879, Col. William Birelie Hyde and William Grayson of San Francisco purchased the Custer Mining Company and constructed of a twenty stamp mill began. All of the heavy equipment for the mill was brought over the newly established Toll Road by . . . — — Map (db m109834) HM
Almost anything and everything was purchased at the general store. In 1888 prices for groceries were listed as cabbage, 25˘ per pound; potatoes and bacon, each 20˘ per pound; ( the rest of the marker is not legible because of the sun's . . . — — Map (db m109901) HM
This house, built in the 1880s, eventually became the home of the McKenzie family. Kenneth and Lillian McKenzie lived here with their three children: Doris, Claude and Maxine. With a stained glass window over an arched doorway, a well near the . . . — — Map (db m109874) HM
Miners lived a very simple life with a few added comforts. Some made lanterns from lard cans, wire and candles, that they used as they traveled to and from work. A miner's day began early and ended ... remember seeing a long trail of light, ... . . . — — Map (db m109940) HM
The Miners' Union Hall served as a social center, as well as professional meeting hall. At its height, the Union boasted 200 members consisting of miners and businessmen. In many ways it was a fraternal organization not only for the miners, but also . . . — — Map (db m109900) HM
Miners on the Yankee Fork started their mining endeavors with gold pans, shovels, rockers and hammers. As mining practices changed, more tools were needed. Varied mining methods, including hydraulic and hard rock, also created a demand for other . . . — — Map (db m109944) HM
William and Margaret Dunn operated the hotel of many years, and Mrs. Dunn did all the cooking. On the first floor, a bar room extended across the front of the building, with a separate hallway that led back to a washroom, kitchen and a large dining . . . — — Map (db m109899) HM
Charles Alexander Pfeiffer purchased this family home after his marriage to Ellen Louise Olson in 1890. Charles managed the Pfeiffer Store for his uncle and later worked as a gold and cleanup man at the General Custer Mill. As the family increased . . . — — Map (db m109835) HM
In 1881, 52 men worked in the mill with the different machinery and refining processes. Imagine the noise generated by the numerous pounding stamps and other machinery as it crushed and processed the ore. Each month, more than 300 cords of wood were . . . — — Map (db m109866) HM
At the top of this trail are the remains of a stone house, the only one within the proper boundaries of Custer. Many single miners live in the house, but one of the most memorable residents was Louise Terloar Short.
Louise grew up in North . . . — — Map (db m109832) HM
Bell came to Custer in 1879 as the new bride of George Thompson. They lived in a two-room log house behind their furniture and upholstery store that was connected by a walkway to the upper story of the family business. Belle lived in Custer more . . . — — Map (db m109904) HM
Over the years, many different modes of transportation shipped supplies and transported people and ore. From the 1870s through the early 1900s a shift occurred from a reliance on oxen, horses and mules to power generated by the development of the . . . — — Map (db m109873) HM
This building was one of the smaller homes in Custer and was built using prefabricated "panels" for walls. It housed a small family and many a bachelor miner. One such miner was Francis Tully, who played his fiddle for many dances in and around . . . — — Map (db m109896) HM
