Home > California > Death+Valley+Junction > Gold Hill Mill, Warm Spring Canyon Road, Death Valley Junction, Inyo County, CA
B&W Photos
No images were found.
Data Pages
No images were found.
Drawings
No images were found.
Photo Caption Pages
No images were found.
Color Transparencies
No images were found.
Item Title
Gold Hill Mill, Warm Spring Canyon Road, Death Valley Junction, Inyo County, CA
LocationWarm Spring Canyon Road,
Death+Valley+Junction, CA
Find maps of Death+Valley+Junction, CA
Created/Published
Documentation compiled after 1968.
Notes
Survey number HAER CA-292
Unprocessed field note material exists for this structure (N996).
Building/structure dates:
1934 initial construction
Significance: The Gold Hill Mill is associated with the operations of Louise Grantham, a mining entrepreneur and owner-operator of the highly successful Warm Springs Talc Mine. In addition to being a well-preserved example of Depression-era gold processing technology, the Gold Hill Mill and neighboring gold claims were involved in a 12-year long dispute between Grantham and a Western Shoshone man over the right to water springs. In addition to symbolizing what had first brought Grantham to the area, the mill's history points to the role of the gold-mining industry in continuing the dispossession of Native American lands in the twentieth century.
Subjects
Indians Of North AmericaMillsScience
Related Names
California State Parks
Grantham, Louise
Streeter, Arin, Field Team
Fletcher, Cristy, Field Team
Hung, Nancy, Field Team
Yu, Johnny, Field Team
White, Paul J., Historian
Lockett, Dana, Delineator
Archimede, Gianfranco, Photographer
Collection
Historic American Engineering Record (Library of Congress)
Contents
Photograph caption(s):
OVERVIEW OF GOLD HILL MILL, ROAD, AND WHITE PINE TALC MINE LOOKING EAST. THE OPENING TO THE TALC MINE IS IN THE DARK AREA AT CENTER LEFT EDGE. WARM SPRINGS CAMP IS OUT OF FRAME TO THE RIGHT.
OVERVIEW OF GOLD HILL MILL, ROAD, AND WARM SPRINGS CAMP BUILDINGS, LOOKING SOUTH SOUTHEAST. THE FUNCTION OF THE FLAT AREA AT CENTER RIGHT IS UNKNOWN.
OVERVIEW OF GOLD HILL MILL, ROAD, AND WARM SPRINGS CAMP BUILDINGS, LOOKING SOUTHWEST.
NORTH ELEVATION OF GOLD HILL MILL, LOOKING SOUTH. AT LEFT EDGE IS THE SINGLE CYLINDER �HOT SHOT� ENGINE THAT PROVIDED POWER FOR THE MILL. JUST IN FRONT OF IT IS AN ARRASTRA. AT CENTER IS THE BALL MILL AND SECONDARY ORE BIN. JUST TO THE RIGHT OF THE BALL MILL IS A RAKE CLASSIFIER, AND TO THE RIGHT ARE THE CONCENTRATION TABLES. WARM SPRINGS CAMP IS IN THE DISTANCE. SEE CA-292-17 (CT) FOR IDENTICAL COLOR TRANSPARENCY.
NORTH ELEVATION OF GOLD HILL MILL, LOOKING SOUTH, SHOWING RELATIONSHIP TO ROADWAY IN FOREGROUND.
OVERVIEW OF GOLD HILL MILL, LOOKING NORTH. THE ARRASTRA IS ON THE RIGHT, TO THE LEFT OF THE ENGINE.
SOUTH ELEVATION OF GOLD HILL MILL, LOOKING NORTH. THE PRIMARY ORE BIN IS A CENTER, WITH A JAW CRUSHER JUST TO THE RIGHT. A CONVEYOR (MISSING) WAS USED TO CARRY CRUSHED ORE UP AND INTO THE SECONDARY ORE BIN. THE STONE RAMP TO THE LEFT OF THE ORE BIN WAS USED TO DRIVE TRUCKS UP TO DUMPING LEVEL.
DETAIL VIEW OF ORE BINS AND JAW CRUSHER, LOOKING NORTHWEST FROM NEARBY THE ENGINE. THE CONCRETE MACHINE PAD TO THE RIGHT OF THE CRUSHER PROBABLY HELD THE ENGINE THAT DROVE THE CRUSHER.
DETAIL VIEW OF ORE BINS AND JAW CRUSHER WITH SIX FOOT SCALE, LOOKING NORTHWEST FROM NEARBY THE ENGINE. SEE CA-292-18 (CT) FOR IDENTICAL COLOR TRANSPARENCY.
DETAIL VIEW OF SECONDARY ORE BIN, AUTOMATIC FEED MECHANISM, DRIVE SHAFT, AND BALL MILL, LOOKING SOUTHWEST FROM THE ARRASTRA. SEE CA-292-19 (CT) FOR IDENTICAL COLOR TRANSPARENCY.
DETAIL VIEW OF CLASSIFIER, TAILINGS LAUNDER TROUGH, LINE SHAFTS, AND CONCENTRATION TABLES, LOOKING SOUTHWEST. SLURRY EXITING THE BALL MILL WAS COLLECTED IN AN AMALGAMATION BOX (MISSING) FROM THE END OF THE MILL, AND INTRODUCED INTO THE CLASSIFIER. THE TAILINGS LAUDER IS ON THE GROUND AT LOWER RIGHT. THE LINE SHAFTING ABOVE PROVIDED POWER TO THE CONCENTRATION TABLES BELOW AT CENTER RIGHT.
DETAIL VIEW OF CLASSIFIER, TAILINGS LAUNDER TROUGH, LINESHAFTS, AND CONCENTRATION TABLES WITH SIX FOOT SCALE, LOOKING SOUTHWEST.
DETAIL VIEW OF THREE CONCENTRATION TABLES, LOADING RAMP, AND CLASSIFIER, LOOKING EST. THE RAKE THAT WAS ORIGINALLY INSIDE THE CLASSIFIER IS AT CENTER RIGHT ON TOP OF THE LOADING RAMP.
DETAIL VIEW OF BALL MILL FEED SYSTEM, MOUTH OF CLASSIFIER, AND ORE BIN CHUTE, LOOKING EAST NORTHEAST. CRUSHED ORE FROM THE SECONDARY ORE BIN WAS INTRODUCED INTO THE FEED TROUGH VIA A CHUTE. AS THE BALL MILL TURNED, THE ROUND SCOOP ALSO TURNED IN THE TROUGH TO CHANNEL ORE INTO THE BALL MILL. SEE CA-292-20 (CT) FOR IDENTICAL COLOR TRANSPARENCY.
DETAIL VIEW OF ARRASTRA, LOOKING SOUTHEAST. THIS OLD TECHNOLOGY IS AN ANACHRONISM OF THIS MILL. ORE WAS DUMPED INTO THE STONE LINED TROUGH. AS THE ARRASTRA TURNED LARGE STONES CONNECTED TO THE FOUR ARMS WERE DRAGGED AROUND OVER THE ORE TO CRUSH IT. IT IS CLEAR THAT THIS ARRASTRA WAS POWERED BY MACHINE THOUGH IT IS UNCLEAR EXACTLY HOW IT WAS POWERED. THE WHITE PINE TALC MINE OPENING IS SEEN IN THE DISTANCE AT THE CENTER LEFT EDGE.
OVERALL VIEW OF WARM SPRINGS CAMP, LOOKING SOUTHEAST.
NORTH ELEVATION OF GOLD HILL MILL, LOOKING SOUTH. AT LEFT EDGE IS THE SINGLE CYLINDER �HOT SHOT� ENGINE THAT PROVIDED POWER FOR THE MILL. JUST IN FRONT OF IT IS AN ARRASTRA. AT CENTER IS THE BALL MILL AND SECONDARY ORE BIN. JUST TO THE RIGHT OF THE BALL MILL IS A RAKE CLASSIFIER, AND TO THE RIGHT ARE THE CONCENTRATION TABLES. WARM SPRINGS CAMP IS IN THE DISTANCE. SEE CA-292-4 FOR IDENTICAL B&W NEGATIVE.
DETAIL VIEW OF ORE BINS AND JAW CRUSHER WITH SIX FOOT SCALE, LOOKING NORTHWEST FROM NEARBY THE ENGINE. SEE CA-292-9 FOR IDENTICAL B&W NEGATIVE.
DETAIL VIEW OF SECONDARY ORE BIN, AUTOMATIC FEED MECHANISM, DRIVE SHAFT, AND BALL MILL, LOOKING SOUTHWEST FROM THE ARRASTRA. SEE CA-292-10 FOR IDENTICAL B&W NEGATIVE.
DETAIL VIEW OF BALL MILL FEED SYSTEM, MOUTH OF CLASSIFIER, AND ORE BIN CHUTE, LOOKING EAST NORTHEAST. CRUSHED ORE FROM THE SECONDARY ORE BIN WAS INTRODUCED INTO THE FEED TROUGH VIA A CHUTE. AS THE BALL MILL TURNED, THE ROUND SCOOP ALSO TURNED IN THE TROUGH TO CHANNEL ORE INTO THE BALL MILL. SEE CA-292-14 FOR IDENTICAL B&W NEGATIVE.
Back to Death+Valley+Junction, California
Cart