JAKE JACKSON MUSEUM & HISTORY CENTER
A replica of the Paymaster Mine stamp mill stands in the South Park of the Museum complex. It contains much of its original equipment. The mill was originally built by Billy Richards and Gene Goodyear around 1905 in Eastman Gulch, which is a tributary of the Trinity River northeast of Lewiston, CA. It was used to process gold-bearing ore from their nearby mine. Richards and Goodyear relinquished their interest to others in the 1920's. The mine ceased production about 1941.
The replica of the Paymaster Mill was built in the fall of 1982 from measurements scaled from Gene Goodyear’s original photos. In 1984 the mill, boiler, feeder and other machinery were acquired from the claimants of the mine. The very isolated location of the mill made removal of machinery difficult, but with careful planning the mission was accomplished by the Museum crew without incident. The boiler and the steam engine, which was previously acquired from the nearby Woodrat Mine, were taken to Eureka for rebuilding. The mill and feeder were refurbished by the Museum crew and were then installed in the building with the other machinery. In the fall of 1985 this steam-powered mill was fully operable.
Demonstrations are given on the Saturday of three-day weekends during the season, and on the 4th of July. They illustrate the gold ore crushing and recovery processes exactly as they were done in the early part of the century. Experienced docents give a detailed narration of what is going on during the operation. Demonstrations are also given by prior arrangement, i.e., school tours, bus tours and for special occasions. Call the museum for details.
To see a Powerpoint Presentation of the Paymaster Mine Stamp mill click here.
(Be patient in that it will take as long as 5 minutes to load)
