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CA Lake Tahoe and Northern Sierra

Lake Tahoe, Plumas, and the Modoc Country north of US 50 in northeastern California.

9 posts

Honeycomb Stamp Mill

Honeycomb Stamp Mill

We stopped by to check out this three-stamp mill made by Merralls Mill Co. in the western Sierra Nevada. It is a neat find. You don’t see many three-stamp mills around. The mill was built around 1900 but never saw much use. It was electric-powered, and water was brought

Mexican Mine

Mexican Mine

On a trip in 2005, we were hiking through the thick Sierra Nevadan Forest in search of an old mine with a long tramway. It turned out to be a bit of a longer hike than we thought it would be, and we weren’t seeing a tram.

Grass Lake Basin Petroglyphs

Grass Lake Basin Petroglyphs

Back in 2005, Alysia and I made a brief stop at a petroglyph site high in the Sierra Nevada near Gold Lake. Petroglyphs in the high country are rare in my experience. And though the site is very small and the petroglyphs are faint, it was an exciting find for

Morning Glory Mine (Alleghany)

Morning Glory Mine (Alleghany)

The Morning Glory mine was a small mine and overshadowed by larger neighbors. The vein had been discovered by at least 1900 but little work was done. Mining seems to have always been intermittent. There was a rich strike in 1910. It was active in 1917 for a few months

Lucky S Mine Camp

Lucky S Mine Camp

We first visited this mining camp in 2002, not knowing what we would find there. A mining camp full of cabins was a great surprise. There are more than a half dozen buildings here. Prospecting for gold around the Lucky S mine began as early as the 1850s, but it

Golden Bear Mining Camp

Golden Bear Mining Camp

Back in 2005, Alysia and I met up with Bill, Dan, Lewis and his daughters Sarah and Rachael for some exploring in the Northern Sierra Nevada. We spent a couple of days in the forest exploring mines and jumping into rivers at the end of the day. This is a

Herman Mine Stamp Mill

Herman Mine Stamp Mill

In 2004, Alysia and I met up with Lewis, Cat, and Dan to hunt for some old mine ruins nestled deep in the Tahoe National Forest of the western Sierra Nevada. Lewis showed us this great stamp mill hidden deep in the forest. The mine was fairly large at one