Kentucky Mine and Museum

Lookin up at the mill building with the sierra buttes in the background.Kentucky Mine mill looking up toward Sierra Buttes
The Kentucky Mine is located on highway 49 just a mile north outside the town of Sierra City in Sierra County. The Kentucky Mine began development during the late 1850s. The mine consisted of two claims, the Grandma and the Kentucky totaling 40 acres and covered a lode of 3000 feet. The Kentucky load an extension of the Sierra Buttes, had a vein averaging 30 inches and carried some high grade ore.
View of stamp tables and 10 stampsTen stamp bank inside the Kentucky Mine that is still operational
A five-stamp mill was built at the mine during the 1860s, which was increased to a ten-stamp mill in 1888. The mill was driven by water from a flume built from the Yuba River. The mine was later abandoned, only to be relocated in 1910 by Emil Loeffler of Sierra City. Emil ran the mine with his son, Adolph “Dutch” Loeffler, until 1944 when Dutch was killed in a mine accident. The current six level mill onsite was built starting in 1928 from salvaged parts of other local stamp mills in the area. The mine finally closed in 1953. 
working pelton wheel set in sun lightOperating pelton wheel located inside the main adit.
Today the grounds of the Kentucky Mine are part of the Sierra County Historical Park, which contains an excellent museum as well as a fully operational stamp mill and one of the few operating  pelton wheels. The museum contains displays and artifacts about Native Americans, early day mining, logging, pioneer skiing, and day-to-day life a hundred years ago. Outdoors more mining relics and picnic tables may be found in shady grounds. A short walk up mountain is the portal of a fifteen hundred foot horizontal mine shaft and miners cabin. Docent lead tours are available and very informative.

Video of working pelton wheel

Top view of pelton wheel
Working pelton wheel
Ore car track and bridge from West side of building
Side view of Kentucky mine mill
Ore car dumping into top of classifier
Looking down at ore car dumping into mill grizzly
Ore car leaving mine
Looking back ar ore car and miners shack
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Kentucky mine Stamp table and drive belt powered by a pelton wheel
Clampers hat
Clampers antique hat on display in museum
ore car track leading to top of stamp mill
Ore car trestle to top of mill
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Purple glass bottles on display at Kentucky Mine museum
Black and white picture of black smith area
Inside of Kentucky Mine portal showing track with ore car and black smithing equipment
monitor
Small water monitor for hydralic mining.
Colored bottles in museum selves
Old bottle collection on display in the Kentucky Mine museum
Upper ore car track going into the top of the mill building
Ore car trestle to top of mill
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Ore car dumping at the top of the mill shoot.
looking up at the North side of the mill building.
Kentucky mine mill house
Ore car on track leading to mine
Kentucky mine ore car on track
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Ore crusher inside Kentucky mine mill
Stamp mill from the front side.
Stamp mill entrance
Old miners shack
Miner shack and Kentucky mine portal
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Steam donkey last used at the Rocky Bar Mine from 1920 to 1934. Used to clear large boulders from the river. Earlier it was used as a skid donkey dragging loges in a logging operation.
Picture of grizzly bear trap
Grizzly bear trap used by Grizzly Smith in and around the area of Sierra City.
Tiny pelton wheel
Scale model of a pelton wheel