Large Scale Central

Kennedy & Argonaut mines in Jackson CA

Prototypes
#1

I recently visited (last October) the Kennedy Mine in Jackson CA, and it’s an amazing example of US mining in the early 20th century. I bought a copy of a silent movie there which was made in the early 30’s or late 20’s, and it shows some great footage of the works and underground activities. Unfortunately, that film is copyrighted by the museum, and they’ve not posted it to the public. However, this evening I ran across the following documentary which has most of that movie’s clips (just look for the black and white bits).

I also recently read the history of one of the biggest mining tragedies in the US, which happened at the Argonaut mine, practically next door to the Kennedy. (I bought the book when I got the video). So though this documentary has the early Kennedy clips, it is mainly about that disaster in the neighboring mine.

Not RR-related, but some good industrial history for those who might be interested.

#2

ROOSTER : Purchases Cliff a Canary .

#3

hAHAA! Thanks Rooster, I needed that.

That reminds me of when (per the book) the mines and stores ran out of canaries. So an appeal was made to all the citizens around to donate their canaries to the cause. Which the people did.

#4

Canary in a coal mine.

I have felt like that from time to time.

#5

Cliff, Molly and I were there in May of last year at The Kennedy Mine and the Tailing Wheels. Our trip there was much shorter than yours we live only 92 miles away. The Kennedy mine is 5,912 feet deep. I have a short video of the Tailing Wheels that carried the waste slurry up and over the hill, almost a mile. and dumped it in a reservoir.

#6

Thanks Dan, great video.

The tailing wheels are awesome. I visited them again in October; love the restoration work on wheel #4. Did you see wheels #1 & #2?

I’d love to see a working model of them on someone’s layout! No rr’s in the vicinity though.

#7

Cliff, Did not see #1 or #2, The Amador Central Railroad came up from Ione to Martell that is less than a mile to the Kennedy Mine and almost 2 miles to Jackson.

“The Amador Central traces its history back to the Ione & Eastern Railroad. In 1902, the Ione & Eastern proposed to build a 14-mile (23 km) line from Ione to Sutter Creek and then an additional 13 miles (21 km) to Volcano, California. The Ione & Eastern only completed a line to Sunnybrook. The railroad survived a few short years and filed bankruptcy, then sold in 1904 and renamed as the Amador Central Railroad. The line continued to Martell, CA and the first train pulled into Martell later that same year.”

The Amador Central Railroad (reporting mark AMC) is a standard gauge railroad that operated 11.8 miles (19.0 km) between a connection with the Southern Pacific Company (SP) at Ione and Martell near the town of Jackson, California. The carrier served the Sierra Nevada Foothills gold mining communities and hauled lumber products from the El Dorado National Forest. Amador is the name of the county in which the railroad operated

#8

Thanks for the correction, Dan. I wasn’t aware of that.

#9

BTW, the book I referred to is 47Down / The 1922 Argonaut Gold Mine Disaster, by O. Henry Mace. I thought it was pretty fascinating.

Rooster, I scanned this for ya from the book. Another canary offering… Poor kid! Well, and poor Tweetie…

#10

Weren’t those canaries lunch?

doc

#11

No, but if there were mine gases, them canaries were toast.