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| Landmark #843 | Nevada County | Visited: May 12, 2012 | Plaque? YES! 🙂 |
| What is it? | The Northstar Mine Powerhouse and Pelton Wheel Museum! |
| What makes it historical? | THE GUIDE SAYS: The North Star Powerhouse, built by A. D. Foote in 1895, was the first complete plant of its kind. Compressed air, generated by Pelton water wheels, furnished power for the entire mine operation. The 30-foot Pelton wheel was the largest in the world, and was in continuous use for over 30 years.
OTHER TIDBITS: This museum has the county’s largest and best preserved collection of Gold Rush era hard quartz mining equipment on display! That includes a working stamp mill and the largest Pelton wheel ever constructed, called a Cornish Pump! You can also see such neat things as a Man Skip (an elevator of sorts for bringing miners up and down in the mines) and a Dynamite Packer, which was used for (you guessed it) packing dynamite to be used down in the mines! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
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| Where is this place? | LISTED DIRECTIONS: Mining and Pelton Wheel Museum S Mill at Allison Ranch Rd Grass Valley, CA 95945 ANNOTATIONS: From Los Angeles: ~442mi (712km) — 7.4hrs |
| When should I go? | The museum is open in summer (May 1 – October 31) from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM, Tuesday through Saturday, Sundays from 12:00 PM until 4:00 PM, and in winter (November 1 – April 30) by appointment! |
