Kennedy Mine

Kennedy Mine circa 1920 The metal 135-foot headframe was built after the 1928 fire View from the parking area Boiler building and first aid clinic After the mine converted to electric in 1926, this boiler provided heat and hot water The brick Change House now serves as a museum/visitor center/gift shop This is a replica 1849 blacksmith shop General Electric dynamo These 10-ft sheaves were at the top of the Kennedy Mine headframe Oil and lubricant storage building, constructed by immigrant Serbian workers Original machine shop and blacksmith site Remains of a Joshua Hendy steam-powered hoist Metal lathes Hoist drum brake from the Fremont Mine Compressor building site. The metal stack was the air intake. Auxiliary hoist and Surface Foreman's office building The auxiliary hoist was used as a backup to the main hoist It was also used to change the wire rope when necessary The hoist used 1 1/4" wire rope The main hoist, now gone, was mounted behind the auxiliary hoist Hoist drums The main hoist was much larger than the auxiliary unit Kennedy Mine Foundation co-founder Frank Tortorich leading a guided tour, at the shaft collar Ore was transported from the bin at the base of the headframe to the mill on a trestle Underground Foreman's office The building now houses a display on the 1922 Argonaut fire rescue/recovery operation Gibbs Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus used in mine rescue operations Historical photograph of last message left by a trapped Argonaut miner The display contains numerous press clippings from 1922 Site of the 1922 disaster... the Argonaut Mine in 1926 Steam donkey used at the sawmill Note the huge pile of logs used to produce mine timbers Remains of the sawmill Sawmill machinery Equipment Skip, used to transport equipment, lumber, and mules into the mine 1100-gallon Water Skips, used to bail water from the mine sump Up to 80,000 gallons of water was removed every night Entrance to the Mine Office building The 1908 Office Building was constructed with concrete First floor veranda. The building has been beautifully restored First floor retort room This retort furnace separated the mercury from the amalgam Just down the hall is the Assay Room The finished bullion was stored in a safe, awaiting transport to the mint The third floor contained suites for visiting dignitaries There was even a small kitchen/dining room There is a nice view from the second floor balcony One of the best views of the headframe is from the Mine Office's lawn The Power House, dating to 1926 Boiler and floatation cells line the road below the headframe The entire hillside is covered with waste rock from the mine The ruins of the 100-stamp mill, which ran 24 hours a day. Ore bin foundations Stamp mill foundations Classifier ruin Heading down for a closer look at the mill The ore was rolled over to the mill on this trestle Most of the mill machinery is now gone Hoist parts Hoist Classifier A large ball mill is still mostly intact Floatation cells Floatation cells Remains of a centrifugal pump Tailing wheels 1 and 2. The flume from the mill is missing. Tailing wheels 1 and 2. The mill has been mostly salvaged. Tailing wheel 2, which today is now collapsed. Tailing wheels 3 and 4. The mill is partially salvaged. Tailing wheel 3 and flume from wheel 2. Mill is intact. Tailing wheel 2 (in building) and flume to wheel 3. The mine is still in operation. Tailing wheel 4, February 2012. The impound pond is behind the ridge. Tailing wheel 4 in 2012. It is now enclosed in a metal and glass structure. Tailing wheel 4 in 2012. The headframe is visible through the spokes.