The Sacramento Mill in Mono County, California, was initially worked by prospectors from Mexico in the 1870s. A variety of companies worked in the mine for over a century. While production was minimal, they had enough hope to construct and aerial tram from the mine to the mill.
Sacramento Mine
Prospectors from Mexico worked the Sacramento Mill in the 1870s. They carried ore on their backs to an arrastra. They worked the claim until 1878.
In May of 1883, owners planned to resume operations. Things didn’t work out, and the mine was in foreclosure by October.
The Sacramento Mine produced gold, copper and silver. It included multiple tunnels, stopes and shafts. Assayers valued the ore at $15-$16 per ton.
The month following the foreclosure notice, the Rowland Brothers leased the mine. They employed ten men with plans to continue operations. In 1912, The White Mountain Mining Company assumed control of the Sacramento Mill. They hired John Henry from Colorado to organize operations.
An aerial tram was constructed in 1938. Reeves Russell Sandsberry left his mark in the concrete on October 2. The mine was a busy place and had visitors that year.
Mammoth Lakes, California · Thursday, December 29, 1938
In 1965, a company again made plans to work the Sacramento Mine with a 5-stamp mill. Within a year, sixteen men were working for the mine, with an expected addition of men.
Mammoth Lakes, California · Friday, October 08, 1965
Mammoth Lakes, California · Friday, February 04, 1966
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References
- California Bureau of Mines. Mines of Alpine, Inyo and Mono Counties, California. 1917.
- Minedat: Sacramento Mine
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