Kentucky Mine and Museum

11/24/2024

The Kentucky Mine is pure gold to Sierra County. Please help!

The Kentucky Mine is pure gold to Sierra County. Please Help!

11/24/2024

The Kentucky Mine is pure gold to Sierra County. Please Help!

11/15/2024

PLEASE HELP SIERRA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY MEET OUR GOAL, SO WE CAN RESUME FULL KENTUCKY MINE TOURS.

11/13/2024

Sierra County Historical Society needs to raise $110,595 by December 1 toward replacing the unsafe trestle. Please help us reach our goal, so we can go back to offering full tours at the Kentucky Mine.

To donate online, go to sierracountyhistory.org or mail a check to SCHS, PO Box 260, Sierra City, CA 96125.

Thank you!

11/11/2024

Well guys, you got a good run out of the first Kentucky Mine Trestle restoration-almost exactly 50 years! The stamp mill and trestle work led by Cy Rollins, was done using local talent in 1975-1976. Pictured in the trestle shot are Steve Raymond, Pete Prince, Dave Edson, and Les Cohen. Photos courtesy of Sierra County Historical Society.

Please pitch in to help with our current restoration so visitors can safely cross from the mine portal to the stamp mill. To donate online, go to sirrracountyhistory.org or mail a check to SCHS, PO Box 260, Sierra City, CA 96125

11/08/2024

Your Chance to Preserve History

The trestle at the Kentucky Mine is the bridge miners used to move heavily-laden ore carts from the portal to the stamp mill. It has been an integral part of the mine tour since the opening of the museum in the 1970s. Until 2 years ago, when the structure was declared unsafe for pedestrians, visitors were able to follow the actual route of the ore starting in the mine, crossing the trestle, and descending inside the mill all the way to the shaker tables at the lowest level. Crossing the trestle is a huge draw for tourists, not just because it provides clarity to the mining and milling process, but because the view from the top is spectacular. This past season the Kentucky Mine attracted almost 2,000 visitors to Sierra County, and there will probably be even more when the full tours resume.

Sierra County Historical Society applied for and received a $96,000 grant from the Federal Scenic Highway Discretionary Grant Program along with a required $24,000 match from Sierra County to reconstruct the Kentucky Mine trestle. Unfortunately, costs have risen dramatically since the process was initiated in 2021 and the lowest competitive bid is $240,000, double our available funding. The bids are valid for 45 days, so we can award the project if we come up with an additional $120,000 in that time period.

Some might say there is no way we can raise $120,000 in only 45 days, but we hope there are enough people who value this gem of Sierra County to say, “YES, WE CAN!” Please help repair the trestle by donating to Sierra County Historical Society for its restoration/building fund. SCHS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All contributions, large and small, are appreciated and deductible. PLEASE DONATE BY DECEMBER 1, 2024!

Send checks: Donate online:
Sierra County Historical Society sierracountyhistory.org
PO Box 260
Sierra City, CA 96125

11/06/2024

Did you ever fish at Delaney's Trout Pond?

04/25/2024

Pull Up a Chair and Join Us for Tavern Talk

Sierra County Historical Society will hold its first Tavern Talk at the St. Charles Bar in Downieville on May 18 from 6:30-8:30. Rick Solinski will wow you with major gold finds, Lee Adams will recount Juanita’s tragic story, and Jason Foreman will regale you with tales of the shooting of Thaddeus Purdy, Mordecai Harlow’s hanging, and also recount stories of early fires and snowstorms. Architectural historian, Corri Jimenez, will speak about downtown Downieville’s development over time, and its changes resulting from severe floods. Admission is $20 which includes a first beverage! Tickets are limited. Get yours now. Just follow this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tavern-talk-at-st-charles-place-tickets-876681807887?aff=odeimcmailchimp&mc_cid=2a191e93b2&mc_eid=9a19f1d8c3