Thar’s Gold in Them Hills!
You might think the discovery of gold led to instant success, but that was not the case.
Early miners lacked the capital to develop the mines. The Sierra Buttes Gold Mining Co. Ltd. bought the mines in the 1860’s and developed them successfully. 326 men were on the Eureka Mills payroll in 1872. They worked year-round to extend tunnels, lay tracks for mule-drawn ore carts and to complete a sawmill.
The Mohawk mill began operation in 1878, with power to run the mill coming solely from a nearby stream.
The mill cost about $50,000 to build. It had 60 stamps, each of which could crush 2 ½ tons of ore every 24 hours. The stamps were very loud! People grew accustomed to the continuous din of milling. Suddenly the mills would silent and people would rush to find out what happened. Why might the mills stop?
Marker can be reached from Johnsville - McCrea Road (County Highway A14).
Courtesy hmdb.org
