Kennedy Gold Mine of the California Mother lode
Kennedy Gold Mine of the California Mother lode
The Kennedy Mine, famous for being one of the deepest gold mines in the world (at 5912 feet), demonstrates how gold changed an entire way of life in California. Although gold was known to be present and was mined by the Spanish and Mexicans, the California Gold Rush did not begin until after James Marshall’s discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma in 1848. Between 1848 and 1858, California exploded from being a largely unpopulated agrarian state into a vital, fast growing and exciting part of the United States. Prospected in 1860, reorganized in 1886 and continuously run until 1942, the Kennedy Gold Mine produced approximately $34,280,000 in gold according to the CA Dept. of Conservation (a 1948 valuation). One of the tallest head frames in existence today can be seen at the Kennedy Mine. The mine also had one of the largest stamp mills in the Mother Lode, moving tailings by means of huge wooden wheels, some of which are still standing.
The history of the Kennedy Mine is traced to January 4, 1860 when Andrew Kennedy, John Fullen, James Fleming, and James Berringan filed four mining claims, each 120 feet long, in the vicinity of today’s Viewpoint along Highway 49/88. Andrew Kennedy had explored the area up to the Oneida Mine boundary line to the North. He is also credited with digging a prospecting shaft to a depth of 100 feet, using a bucket attached to a winch with a handle. This shaft was sunk approximately 400 feet south of the Oneida boundary line beginning perhaps as early as 1855. Andrew’s three partners were associated with the Oneida Mine at the time the mining claims were filed.
On the Kennedy Gold Mine surface tours, visitors see the mine office building where gold flakes were melted into large bricks to ship by Wells Fargo to San Francisco. This is also where ore samples were processed to see if a particular underground area was worthy of further investigation. See the stamp and gold recovery mill, tailing wheels, a steam boiler and the huge steel head frame whose pulleys guided the miners into the bowels of the earth. You will also see the building where the men changed into their mining garb before dropping nearly a mile underground to work. You will view a historic video of the men working circa 1914, and much more. Visit the Kennedy Gold Mine and gain new insight into the complications and hardships of the miner’s way of life!
Guided Tours are recommended and worth the money for an interesting, in-depth, and educational tour of the museum and the grounds. Tours are available at 10:15 AM, 12:15 PM and 2:15 PM. The 90 minute tour includes the Change House Museum and Gift Shop, the theater showing actual 1914 footage of of the mine in operation over 100 years ago, and our new Mine Tunnel Experience! Tour the Steam Boiler Building, Head Frame/Shaft area, Stamp Mill Overlook, Underground Foreman’s Office, and the fascinating inside tour of the 1907 Mine Office Museum including the Paymaster’s office, the large walk-in safe where gold bars and important records were kept, the Gold Retort Furnace and Assay Rooms, the Guest Bedrooms on the top floor for dignitaries that visited the famous mine, plus many other Points of Interest
12594 Kennedy Mine Road, Jackson, CA 95642
Kennedy Mine Gold Production:
Impressive statistics can be provided to show that the Kennedy Mine was the premier gold mine along
the world famous Mother Lode. The nearly $54,000,000.00 gold recovered by the combined Kennedy
and Argonaut Mines within a span of about one half mile clearly surpasses any other mine or consortium
of mines along the Mother Lode. In actuality the Kennedy Mine, as most Mother Lode mines, was a lowgrade mine. This means that it found and recovered a relatively small amount of gold per ton of rock
crushed. The Mine’s total gold production was possible only because of the depth of its activity into the
earth.
Most of the gold was recovered at the Mine while the official price of a pure ounce of gold was priced at
$20.67. The purity rate of the gold at the Kennedy between 1886 and 1942 was approximately 83%,
which provided the Kennedy Mining and Milling Company with about $17.15 for each ounce produced.
The average yield at the mine during this 56 year period was about .38 of an ounce of gold per ton of
rock crushed, or a recovery rate of $6.53 of gold per ton of rock crushed. It is thus apparent that the
Mine had to be operated with a great degree of efficiency in order to make a profit.
The first two owners of the Kennedy Mine found it difficult to reach the required degree of efficiency in
order to generate a profit. However, the Kennedy Mining and Milling Company paid out $5,812,000.00
in dividends to its stockholders from total receipts of $28,205,831.30 during its 56 years of mining
operation at the Kennedy Mine.
Thats super deep, insane! Cool tour, thanks for the adventure Jeff😎
Jeff I like learning as much as I can about old times and the miners who endeared this awesome time sake of prospecting and getting the gold from the earth in the old days. Beautiful scenery . Thanks for sharing my friend . Now grab Gary and let’s move more boulders for big gold lol
Awesome place. Seen it many times, always wanted to go. Great video!
Same in Columbia California or any of the ones that have panning sloughs.
Really cool place thanks for sharing
Thanks for the tour ⚒👍🏻
We have old mines in the UK cole mines might see if one near me u can visit
With the price of gold, is it still workable to get more or is it worked out?
Thanks for takein us along I hope I didn’t cause to much chaos. Lol
Beautiful location. I will check out the Kennedy Mine on my next trip up to Northern CA. Thanks, Jeff!
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This place seems so peaceful and quiet!! Back in the day could of heard that place for 20 miles!! Good work my friend,history is awsome!! Thanks for bringing us along!! LBPA4LIFE
Thanks for the trip back in TIME
That was a great place Jeff,
i must come and visit one day.
I wish they took as much pride in our old mines as they do there.
This is awesome, love stuff like this. LBPA 👊
Awesome
I did that tour it was very interesting .
Well done sir ,Always enjoy your camera work , your music choice is spot on .
Always mov’n boulders 😂 and catch’n the Gold . This time no square nails or lead in the pan ….Sooooo it counts 👍
Thanks for the video sir .
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That was a major operation and glad to see most of it in tact. Thanks Jeff. 🇺🇸👍😎⛏
Not only the views are breathtaking but also the history behind it. Thank you Jeff for sharing this amazing video. have a nice weekend and God Bless you and your family!!
that was cool great vid
Better beat the old timers to the panning slaugh.When panning for gold.They get up before the sun comes up and will stay til it goes down.and they know all the good spot to they been going panning their for years.probably before most of you were born.
I thought the trough was for kids! Or were you helping teach the kids to pan? Any pokers?
Never been there always wanted to go check it out be cool to take the grandkids there I only live about 25 miles from it I’ll put it on the list great video
Cool video, I’ll have to put that on my list of things to do
I also live in a mining region.
We mined hard coal. Our gold * laughs.
Very interesting to see that in California.
Greetings Peter 🤠👍
Thank Jeff, nice vid, interested in all the old mine workings, always blows me away how much they achieved with manual labour.
Hello from Prescott Az great video thanks!
Thanks Jeff for the adventure/tour. Had a placer claim just outside of Jackson once on the Mokeulmne river, It also had 2 hardrock mines on the same parcel. Lot’s of Quartz (and some Mariposite). I loved that whole area. Even found some 19" long footprints made by something up ontop of the area?
Fascinating piece of gold history
From Northwest Alabama this is my prospecting. Luckily I hit the gold mine each time with your videos.
Awsome stuff Jeff thanks for bringing us along
Right across the road from the argonaught mine in Jackson California. They had to use the KENNEDY mine shaft to tunnel over to the argonaught when they had a cave in nobody lived.they wrote on the mine walls air ran out.
Nice tour👍……there had to be a good crevice somewhere in that old building,,,,,,imagine how much gold has been dropped over the years🤔
you didnt bring a pack with the sdc in it and wonder off i want the small crusher.
you made awesome video nice to see your work Keep working hard like this, 1 day will go a long way You will grow double by day and quadruple the night you are working very hard it feels so good to see your video i like your video a lot you too will remember in your prayers My prayers are with you May you have a lot of success or luck will be waiting for new video thanks for sharing..
On December 13, 1891 my 1st Cousin 7x Removed’s Husband John William Smith fell 500 feet to his death in the Kennedy Mine
Nice Tour, Jeff👍🇺🇸🎯😎
Way to go Jeff. Glad I opened up your description. Lot’s of interesting info. Loved the music too.
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Great day out enjoying life fam. Load’s of fun & cool info fam. Keep on living the dream. Gold squad out!!!
Looks like an awesome day out mate 🤠🇦🇺⛏️
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Awesome! I love museums, and artifacts you can play with! I’d love to make a jaw crusher like that! And with the panning, this trip puts you ahead of Gary!
What an Awesome old mine , they really looked after it and preserved it which is good to see . So many are run down and collapsing and disappearing forever , they’re always interesting places to visit that’s for sure , thanks Jeff for the tour mate , cheers Ned .