Opened in 1852 from six claims. Renamed Original Amador Consolidated working till 1918. Reopened in 1935 till 1937. Shaft reached 1238’. Total production was $3,500,000. — — Map (db m10329) HM
Founded in 1851 working continuously till 1893. Purchased by Keystone Company in 1920 and connected to it. Closed in 1942. Contained 3 shafts: South Spring Hill 1200’, Tallisman 600’, and Medean at 600’ deep. Produced $1,092,472 from . . . — — Map (db m44608) HM
Owned by the Treasure Mining Company of San Francisco. Founded prior to 1867. Sometimes called the Hazard Mine. Shaft reached 3030’ on the incline with winzes. Was connected to the Bunker Hill Mine to the south at the 1600; level. Produced . . . — — Map (db m44620) HM
In 1848, was a village of huts and tents called
"Bottileas”
by the Mexicans from the bottles strewn about by those who tarried here.
In 1849, it was named
Jackson
for Colonel Jackson an early day resident.
In 1853, Amador . . . — — Map (db m72060) HM
Viewpoint: 50 yards west, Two of the richest gold mines in Amador County, both reached depths of over one mile. Worked until 1942. Kennedy produced $28.5 million, the Argonaut $ 25 million. Notice headframes west toward Highway 49 and tailing wheels . . . — — Map (db m44586) HM
In the late 1850’s, Andrew Kennedy discovered gold in an outcropping of quartz. The mine produced over $34.2 million in gold, making it one of the richest gold mines in the world. With a depth of 5,912 feet, it was the deepest mine in North America . . . — — Map (db m19797) HM
Founded and active in the 1880’s. 10 stamp mill and a 640’ shaft. Re-opened 1921 till 1929. 20 stamp mill and a 2,291’ incline shaft. Tailing dam north to Raley’s. Produced $564,624 in gold.
Nearby Mines: South Jackson, Fern, Kearsling, . . . — — Map (db m44582) HM
Under This Tablet Is
The Court House Well
Dug in 1851, 52 feet in depth
For generations it was a main
source of domestic water
for the community.
“Gone is the ancient equipment
but still the living water flows.” . . . — — Map (db m27908) HM
Founded in the 1860’s as the Coney Mine, operated continuously from 1875-1914. Later sold to Kennedy. Incline shaft 1865’ deep. Total production $5 million. Note powder house on road to the east. — — Map (db m44585) HM
Copper mines patented 1873:
Peak Outputs: Early 1860’s, 1895-1917, 1943-1947,
Township organized 1854.
A Methodist center for many years
U.S. Postoffice: 1862-1905 — — Map (db m11361) HM
Founded in 1852 from several claims and consolidated in 1883. Sold to the Argonaut company in 1925 and closed in 1943. Empire workings reopened 1946-47. Pacific shaft 4450’ deep. Total production $13,500,000. Mines north to Cosumnes River: Aden, . . . — — Map (db m44622) HM
Eastern Shaft of the Wildman Mine located at the Post Office site. Used as an air chute and hoist shaft to dispose of waste rock later used to pave roads. The mine founded by William T. Wildman, circa 1851 — — Map (db m12601) HM
First (1851) quartz mine & mill in Sutter Creek on Amador Road. Leland Stanford financier, politician and benefactor controlled this mine (1859-1872). Under Supt. R. C. Downs it proved a bonanza, aided Stanford to join the builders of the Central . . . — — Map (db m42409) HM
Founded in 1851 as Amador #2. Renamed the Union Mine and finally the Lincoln Mine by new owner Leland Stanford. Worked until 1924, producing $2 million. Consolidated with Wildman- Mahoney Mines. Foundations and dump remain. — — Map (db m44607) HM
Founded by Jerry Mahoney from Killarney, Ireland in 1851. Claim purchased from Alvinza Hayward. Merged with the Wildman Mine and reached a depth of 1200 feet. Produced $5 million in gold. Later part of Lincoln Consolidated Co. — — Map (db m12606) HM
Sutter Creek, California
Left Panel:
Like many communities in the Sierra Foothills, Sutter Creek grew out of the great gold rush of 1849. Thousands of men of every nationality arrived seeking fortunes through toil, sweat, and luck. . . . — — Map (db m106380) HM
Founded in early 1850’s by Alvinza Hayward, owner of the Badger and Wolverine Mines. Earned $65,000 a month, reaching a depth of 2,250 in late 1800’s. Shaft sunk to 3,500 feet in 1916. In 1924 was purchased by Central Eureka Company. Closed in 1942 . . . — — Map (db m44606) HM
Founded by William T. Wildman in 1851. Merged with Mahoney Mine and reached a depth of 1500 feet. Combined mines operated a 70 stamp mill and produced a total of $5 million in old by 1924. Powder house used to store explosives. Became part of . . . — — Map (db m12598) HM
Discovered in 1848 by Colonel Stevenson’s men who mined Soldiers’ Gulch in ’49. First covered wagon party sluiced rich gravel beds. By ’53, men swarmed flats and gulches naming them picturesquely. Hydraulic operations, begun in ’55, brought . . . — — Map (db m11365) HM
[Larger Marker]:
Started 1848 by soldiers of Colonel Stevenson’s Regiment. Named by miners because of apparent volcanic appearance. Here the first California rental library, 1850, was established. And one of the first “Little . . . — — Map (db m100574) HM
This marker symbolizes the discovery of the first large gold nugget in California. It was found across this canyon in Willard Gulch April 12, 1859. Weight 54 pounds. — — Map (db m29663) HM
Led from Indian Territory by their New England schoolmaster, a band of young Cherokee Argonauts discovered gold here 1850. Town established 1853 when first stores erected by Welsh miners. During heyday of 1875, Cherokee boasted its own theatre, race . . . — — Map (db m234) HM
Edison Ore Mining & Miocene Mining Co. Oct. 1879 to May 1881 by Major Frank McLaughlin searched for platinum to use in Edison’s electric light globe. Used a process to remove gold from black sands found in mine tailings.
Miocene Mining Co. . . . — — Map (db m61556) HM
Is the site of the longest running continuously operated foundry west of the Mississippi River. All quartz machinery needed for the numerous mines surrounding the Altaville, Angels Camp area was cast here. It was previously known as Altaville . . . — — Map (db m13005) HM
A gold furnace was commonly used to separate mercury from the gold. In gold placer mining, in which small specks and veins of gold were often found in quartz, mercury was used to separate the gold from the quartz. This bonding of the mercury . . . — — Map (db m57172) HM
In 1895 Harry Hogarth, James Candy and Naylor Williams filed a claim for the Relief Quartz Mine on a hillside above Six Mile Creek near Angels Camp. In 1920, after working the claim by hand for many years, the Hogarths; Harry Sr, Harry Jr, and . . . — — Map (db m56553) HM
This mine site was located in 1855 by Peter Cameron, A.M. Wood, Will Powell and C.G. Lake. Lightner Mining Company organized and operated from 1896-1915. A 40 stamp mill crushed 500,000 tons of ore from vein which widened to 120’. Ore stopped at . . . — — Map (db m10633) HM
Common in California after 1853, the stamp mill consisted from one to five heavy pillar-like stamps whose bottom, (or shoes), were cylindrical hammers made of iron, each weighing as much as one thousand pounds. Power to operate the stamps was . . . — — Map (db m56556) HM
Hydraulic Mining was the largest and most destructive form of mining. Water, brought through flumes and ditches from high up in the mountains, was redirected into an ever-narrowing channel and out through a giant iron nozzle, called a . . . — — Map (db m56649) HM
The body of water you see before you, known as New Melones Lake, is formed by the building of the New Melones Dam. The 625-foot high earth-fill dam was completed in 1979 by the Army Corp of Engineers. A man-made reservoir, the lake hosts a variety . . . — — Map (db m32433) HM
Utica Mine, the most important mine in the Angels District, set national records in the 1890's producing more than 4 million dollars in gold in 30 months. The Utica was also the site of Angels Camp's worst mine disaster when 17 men were buried when . . . — — Map (db m25646) HM
Water wheels were commonplace to the gold mining regions, providing power for mining and milling operations. Powered by water the wheel was attached to a series of belts and gears which turned the machinery to crush the ores. This water wheel . . . — — Map (db m56559) HM
[Upper Marker:]
Named Camanche in 1849 after Camanche, Iowa. Once called Limerick. Peak population 1500. Rich mining at nearby Cat Camp, Poverty Bar, and Sand Hill. Mokelumne River water brought in by Lancha Plana and Poverty Bar ditch. . . . — — Map (db m19752) HM
Copper here discovered by W. K. Reed and Thomas McCarty in 1860. Mines utilized during the Civil War and the First and Second World Wars. During Civil War period was the principal copper producing section of the United States. — — Map (db m13002) HM
Although Copperopolis is known for copper mining, gold was discovered here in 1858, copper in 1860. The gold belt was a mile west of the copper belt.
The Madame Felix Mining District produced 200,000 ounces of gold between 1864 and 1974. . . . — — Map (db m58927) HM
Built is 1861 by Antonio and Caterina Gagliardo. Served as a Post Office and social center for the community of Douglas Flat. A hand dug well located next to the store supplied Douglas Flat with good fresh water and remains in good shape today. . . . — — Map (db m58852) HM
Richest placer mining section, extending five miles, in Calaveras County. Received name from Chileans who worked gulch in 1848 and 1849, and scene of the so-called Chilean War. Largest known quartz crystals recovered from mine on south side of gulch. — — Map (db m11515) HM
A thriving mining camp on rich Pennsylvania Gulch in the 1850’s and 1860’s. Named for Alfred Brown, former owner of Table Mountain Ranch. Laws of Brownsville Mining District provided that each miner could own one wet and one dry claim, not to exceed . . . — — Map (db m11501) HM
Located on the Stockton-Murphy Road at the fourth crossing of the Calaveras River, this early mining settlement, once called Foremans, was famous in the 1850's for its rich placer ores. Later, it became an important stage and freighting depot and . . . — — Map (db m11969) HM
Settled by Mexicans in 1848. Named after Catholic Parish of St. Andrew. First newspaper published here Sept. 24, 1856. Destroyed by fire June 4, 1858 and in 1863. County seat of Calaveras County since 1866. Rendezvous of Joaquin Murietta. Black . . . — — Map (db m11503) HM
Gwin Mine, Paloma, and Lower Rich Gulch were mined for placer in 1849. Quartz was discovered by J. Alexander in 1851. Property acquired by Wm. M. Gwin, California's first U.S. Senator, in 1851. The Gwin Mine closed, in 1908, yielded millions. — — Map (db m14449) HM
From 1860 to 1906, this area was the largest coal mining district in California. Five towns (Nortonville, Somersville, Stewartville, Judsonville and West Hartley) grew up around twelve major mines. Today the towns are gone. The buildings having been . . . — — Map (db m139449) HM
Miwok Indians inhabited this valley at the base of Mt. Diablo when Spanish explorers came in the 1770’s. Scouts, trappers, prospectors and settlers followed.
In 1857 Clayton was founded by Joel Clayton, a miner, farmer, and wagonmaster from . . . — — Map (db m59954) HM
This grove is given to the State of California for the preservation of these ancient trees by Mr. and Mrs. Jesse H. Metcalf of Rhode Island. — — Map (db m1510) HM
Here in the Valley of the Cul-lum-mah Indians, James W. Marshall discovered gold on January 24, 1848, in the tailrace of Sutter’s sawmill. The Old Coloma Road, opened in 1847 from Sutter’s Fort to Coloma, was used by Marshall to carry the news of . . . — — Map (db m12272) HM
El Dorado, meaning “The Gilded One”, was first known as Mud Springs from the boggy quagmire the cattle and horses made of a nearby watering place.
Originally a important camp along the old Carson Emigrant Trail. By 1849 – 50 it . . . — — Map (db m13148) HM
One and a half miles north of Georgetown sailors from Georgia established claims in 1849. General store and mining camp in 1850 which later produced by seam diggins hydraulic and flood sluicing methods. The famous Blue Rock, Pacific Beattie and . . . — — Map (db m54943) HM
The Gold Bug is like the thousands of small mines that once dotted the Sierra foothills. Surprisingly enough, most of the digging in this mine occurred in the 1920’s and 30’s, and not during the Gold Rush. Mines like this were worked by small . . . — — Map (db m69863) HM
Did you know that Gold Bug Park has nearly 100 years of gold mining history?
The 61 acres of the park include six mining claims that were once a part of the Poverty Ridge Mining District. Some of the richest deposits of the Mother Lode were . . . — — Map (db m69861) HM
Local residents remember that the thunderous crashing staccato of the ore stamp mill could be heard for miles in the narrow canyon. The song of the stamps had been a familiar sound in this area for since George Cozens erected the first mill here in . . . — — Map (db m69864) HM
On this site the Boston-Newton Joint Stock Association encamped on September 26, 1849. The company left Boston April 16 and arrived at Sutter’s Fort September 27. After a remarkable journey across the continent a rich store of written records . . . — — Map (db m11568) HM
This pumping unit, known as a wooden walking beam, was one of the oldest and last remaining in actual use within the Coalinga oil fields. Put into service in July of 1918, it was in continuous use until November 1979. Initial production was 170 . . . — — Map (db m64108) HM
Station A was one of three mines (A. B. & C.) in the Coalinga Hills where coal was mined. The coal was transfered (sic) from mule driven ore wagons. Then by coal cars pulled by old Betsy to the transfer dock at Alcalde in Warthan Canyon, from there . . . — — Map (db m229468) HM
On this spot in the early days was a flowing spring beside which stood a large green bush. Wild horses, deer, elk and antelope watered here and it served as a watering place for sheep and cattle.
The presence of this water caused the . . . — — Map (db m242667) HM
The Birth of Lookouts
From the days of the old west, through the trials of World
War II, to our current high-tech world, the story of the fire
lookout is laced with history, heroics and romance. The
history of fire lookouts in . . . — — Map (db m213281) HM
[Marker Front:]
Groundwater Irrigation Beginnings
The San Joaquin Valley's groundwater reservoir was first tapped with a practical pumping plant 4 miles northeast of here on Dec. 12, 1894. William De La Grange of Selma, tired of . . . — — Map (db m28594) HM
California's first drilled oil wells producing crude to be refined and sold commercially were located on the north fork of the Mattole River approximately three miles east of here. The old Union Mattole Oil Company made its first shipment of oil . . . — — Map (db m51955) HM
The largest gravity fed irrigation district in the western hemisphere, established in 1911. They later assumed control of several water companies and were instrumental in getting the Hoover Dam and the All American Canal built.
They commenced . . . — — Map (db m62035) HM
Opened by placer miners after 1852, the gold mines expanded into hard rock quarrying by 1872. Picacho employed 700 miners at its peak from 1895 to 1900. Mill accidents, low ore quality, and the loss of cheap river transport with the building of . . . — — Map (db m50584) HM
In June 1873 Colonel Sherman Stevens built a sawmill and flume on Cottonwood Creek high in the Sierras directly west of this spot. The flume connected with the Los Angeles Bullion Road. The lumber from the flume was used for timbering in the mine . . . — — Map (db m33877) HM
In the 1930s, this billboard directed travelers to the Coso Hot Springs resort, which was 10 miles to the east.
Molten rock, or magma, lies about five miles below the earth's surface. Groundwater
percolates through rock fractures, is . . . — — Map (db m195627) HM
In 1914, gold ore from the Golden Treasure Mine, 5 miles to the east, was processed here for shipment to a smelter. Legend has it that the Ashford Brothers sold the mine for $50,000 to a Hungarian Count, who later sold it to B.W. McCausland for . . . — — Map (db m89558) HM
Good Life in Badwater
Water is rare and precious in Death Valley. Imagine the disappointment when a surveyor mapping this area could not get his
mule to drink from this pool. He wrote on his map that the
spring had "bad water," and . . . — — Map (db m159465) HM
Near this spot the Bennett-Arcane contingent of the Death Valley '49ers, emigrants from the Middle West, seeking shortcut to California gold fields, were stranded for a month and almost perished from starvation. William Lewis Manley and John Rogers, . . . — — Map (db m159315) HM
A few structural remains and the nearby borax
windrows are the most visible reminders of
Eagle Borax Works, the first borax refinery in
Death Valley.
Businessman Isador Daunet founded the Eagle
operation on this site, producing borax by . . . — — Map (db m159313) HM
Roy Journigan acquired this mill site in Emigrant Canyon shortly after passage of the 1934 Gold Reserve Act caused the price of gold to jump from $20 to $35 an ounce. His strategy was to operate a custom mill for local mines, so both he and the . . . — — Map (db m212389) HM
Good fortune inspired the name “King of the Desert,“ coined for the Keane Wonder Mine by the Rhyolite Herald in 1911. The mine was discovered by Jack Keane and Domingo Etcharren in 1904. Producing over a million dollars in gold from 1904 to 1917, . . . — — Map (db m159260) HM
During the first two decades of this century the Keane Wonder Mine was the scene of major investment and development. The products of this labor were the riches - gold and silver.
About 1903, Jack Keane, prospector, discovered gold in this . . . — — Map (db m159264) HM
The Roaring '20s, like the 1990s and
early 2000s, fueled an age of excess and
speculation, setting the stage for Leadfield,
a town built on dreams of wealth.
Lead deposits attracted prospectors to Titus
Canyon as early as 1905, but . . . — — Map (db m195240) HM
On the marsh near this point borax was discovered in 1881 by Aaron Winters who later sold his holdings to W. T. Coleman of San Francisco. In 1882 Coleman built the Harmony Borax Works and commissioned his superintendent J. W. S. Perry to design . . . — — Map (db m158971) HM
Named after the famed Saratoga Springs in
New York state, the springs here create
open-water ponds that contrast starkly
with the hot, dry, desolate floor of Death
Valley. The first visitors to its refreshing
waters included resident and . . . — — Map (db m235621) HM
Powered by water piped from a spring high in
the Panamint Range, the Skidoo Mill extracted
gold from ore and was one of Death Valley's
most profitable operations. Skidoo had the only
water-powered milling plant in Death Valley.
The . . . — — Map (db m159375) HM
Independent from an early age, Louise Grantham moved from Ohio to California
in her twenties and, without training or experience, became a prospector. The fact
that this land belonged to someone else did not deter her.
In 1929, . . . — — Map (db m238062) HM
Though steeped in legend, the frenzied search
for gold and other materials in Death Valley
produced few fortunes. Borax, the "White
Gold of the Desert," ranks as the valley's
most profitable mineral.
Harmony Borax works, in front of you, . . . — — Map (db m32661) HM
Built in 1877, these kilns produced charcoal for the Modock Mine smelter about 20 miles to the west. Workers filled the stone kilns with piñon pine logs (relatively abundant in this area) and fired them. The burning, which reduced the wood to . . . — — Map (db m159369) HM
In 1862 this high quality deposit of dolomitic limestone was discovered. Its remorte location delayed development until 1883, when the Carson & Colorado Railroad was constructed. In 1885, Drew Haven Dunn filed a mining claim and the Inyo Marble . . . — — Map (db m72577) HM
In 1865 Pablo Flores found the richest vein of silver
California has ever had ($17 million) overlooking
Owens Lake at the crest of the Inyo Mountains. By 1868
Cerro Gordo Landing was growing to supply the mines.
Water went up the "Yellow . . . — — Map (db m221858) HM
The Alabama Gates and gate house were constructed in 1913 when the Los Angeles Aqueduct was built to dewater the aqueduct when maintenance is necessary. On November 16, 1924, seventy or more local citizens seized the aqueduct at the Alabama Gates . . . — — Map (db m93252) HM
People have long benefitted from the richness of the Owens
Lake area. For at least 10,000 years, American Indians have
lived here and harvested resources, including glass-sharp
obsidian for arrow points and spearheads.
In the . . . — — Map (db m221929) HM
Kern County experienced a mining boom just like other parts of California. Prospectors arriving from near and far found gold, silver and other valuable ore in Kern County’s mountains beginning in the 1850s.
An assayer tests the purity . . . — — Map (db m26080) HM
Kern County is one of the top oil producing areas in the United States. Four oil fields in Kern County have each produced over one billion barrels of oil.
In 1899, the discovery of oil on land near the Kern River started an oil boom. . . . — — Map (db m25692) HM
Oil was discovered at 70 feet in 1899, when Tom Means persuaded Roe Elwood and Frank Wiseman, aided by Jonathan, Bert, Jed, and Ken Elwood, George Wiseman, and John Marlowe, to dig here for oil. On June 1, 1899, 400 feet to the north, Horace and . . . — — Map (db m168102) HM
Access to adequate water supplies was crucial to the settlement of Kern County.
Water from the Kern River was diverted to irrigate farmlands, but most towns relied on wells for drinking water.
The Fairhaven Water Company built this . . . — — Map (db m25493) HM
This standard end pumping unit was salvaged and erected by the Production Department, Chevron U.S.A., Inc., La Habra to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Standard Oil Company of California
The unit is composed of original parts from the San . . . — — Map (db m26118) HM
In the 1880s, the famous twenty-mule
teams hauled borax from mines in Death
Valley to the railroad junction in Mojave. The
wagon route passed just north of here.
In 1925, a huge deposit of borax ores was
discovered near Boron. By the . . . — — Map (db m155972) HM
This is one of the original twenty mule team wagon sets, used to carry borax out of Death Valley, through 165 miles of desolate mountains and blistering deserts, to the closest railroad spur in Mojave, California. It took 20 days for the 20 Mule . . . — — Map (db m123897) HM
The King Solomon Mine here in Johannesburg had lots of gold pulled out of this mine and some speculate
that it may be an extension of the Butte Mine over the hill in Randsburg. Historically the site has been
associated with the Rand Mining . . . — — Map (db m181227) HM
America's most spectacular gusher blew in here on March 14, 1910. Initially 18,000 barrels per day, the flow later reached an uncontrolled peak of 100,000 barrels per day, completely destroying the derrick. This Union Oil Company well produced nine . . . — — Map (db m54267) HM
Eight miles due west of this marker stood one of California's first commercial oil refineries. Between August 1864 and April 1867, approximately 4,000 gallons of illuminating oil produced there was shipped to San Francisco by the Buena Vista . . . — — Map (db m78295) HM
This display commemorates the Mojave area's rich mining history, which began with the discovery of gold on the Little Buttes north of the present day Silver Queen Road.
That discovery by W.W.Bowers was followed by many others in the region, . . . — — Map (db m53129) HM
Just west of this point was the Southern Pacific terminus for the Twenty-Mule-Team Borax wagons that operated between Death Valley and Mojave from 1884 to 1889. The route ran from the Harmony Borax Mining Company works, later acquired by the . . . — — Map (db m123891) HM
In May 1899, Thomas A. Means owned the land where James and Jonathan Elwood discovered oil on the North Bank of the Kern River. They used a hand auger under the edge of the cliff checking for oil, and later moved to the top to drill. Oil surfaced . . . — — Map (db m64665) HM
The Yellow Aster, or Rand Mine, was discovered in April, 1895 by Singleton Burcham and Mooers. The town of Randsburg quickly developed followed by the supply town of Johannesburg in 1896. Both names were adopted from the profusion of minerals . . . — — Map (db m50461) HM
Gold was discovered on the slope of Rand Mountain in 1895. From this discovery, the town of Randsburg sprang up almost overnight. By 1899, the town had over 3500 residents. Randsburg boasted a 100-stamp mill and conservative estimates are that . . . — — Map (db m78578) HM
Rand Camp began as a tent city, erected by eager miners who rushed to the Mojave Desert following a major gold discovery in April 1895. A year later, the town of 1,500 had been renamed "Randsburg." Saloons sprouted, a U.S. Post Office was . . . — — Map (db m153141) HM
Kelly Silver Mine
Silver was discovered directly behind this building around 1918. The Kelly Silver Mine was the richest in the world at the time, albeit other silver mines in the area were very profitable as well. As a result, the . . . — — Map (db m152428) HM
One of the richest silver strikes occurred in the community of Red Mountain. The Kelly and Grady claims started a silver boom which brought prosperity to this region in the 1900's. In one 60 day period over $170,000 in silver was mined from a hole . . . — — Map (db m158901) HM
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