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Volume 045-4 - October 1991 (8 pages)
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Page: of 8
Nevada County Historical Society
Bulletin
Volume 45, No. 4 Revised October 1991 October 1991
A GUIDED TOUR THROUGH THE MINING MUSEUM
Compiled from notes by Glenn Jones, Exhibit Director
sre ign itt
ae
wm No county in the Gold Country is more intimately
connected with all aspects of gold mining than Nevada
County. Here some of the earliest placer
from mining days, the 30 feet diameter Pelton wheel,
which formerly supplied air used for power to the North
Star mine, was rescued from the scrap heap through the
efforts of Mrs. Phebe Cartwright, who conducted a
vigorous campaign to "save the wheel." The wheel was
presented to the Historical Society by Mrs. Cartwright's
committee and an acre of land, including the remains of
the old North Star mine power house, were donated by
the New Verde Mining Company.
Formerly, there were three Pelton wheels in the
power house. The first of these was 18 feet in diameter
and was used to provide power for the Stockbridge
mine, which was located very near the power house.
When it was found that the power developed here was
more than adequate for the Stockbridge, it was decided
mining took place, here much of the hydraulic
mining was practiced and here deep quartz
mining was started. Today, the placers are
all but worked out, hydraulic mining was
virtually forbidden in 1884 and the last of
the deep quartz mines closed down in 1959.
With Gold advancing from $34 per ounce to
over $400 per ounce, a number of small
mines are now in operation. The equipment
of the mines was sold or vanished in other
ways. But for the efforts of some far-seeing
citizens, such as Arthur Dowdell, former
assayer of the Empire mine, only the
foundations of former buildings from the
mines or the immense chasms, left by the
hydraulic operations, would remind one of
the former great industry of Nevada County.
Arthur Dowdell collected a large number
of objects relating to gold mining,which he
presented to the Nevada County Historical
Society in 1968. These objects formed the
nucleus of the first Nevada County Mining
Museum, which was opened on Mill Street,
“ MA
Grass Valley in that year.
In 1959, one of the most important relics
25
30 FOOT PELTON WHEEL
Photo : John Harris, Martinez, CA