California Historical Landmark #786

Jack and I spent the Wednesday before Thanksgiving waymarking historical sites in Western Amador County in the rain. This was the ninth of twenty-one places that we stopped.

Argonaut and Kennedy Mines

California State Historical Landmark #786
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This landmark is located in the west roadside rest area on State Highway 49 1.6 miles north of Jackson, California in Amador County. There are 24 other California State Historical Landmarks in Amador County. The GPS coordinates for the plaque are N 38° 21.879 W 120° 47.231.

You can log your visit to this landmark at waymark.com.

 

Argonaut Mine, discovered 1850, and Kennedy Mine, discovered 1856, played dramatic roles in the economic development of California, producing $105,268,760 in gold. Kennedy Mine has a vertical shaft of 5,912 feet, the deepest in the United States. The Argonaut was the scene of the Mother Lode's most tragic mine disaster-on August 27, 1922, 48 miners were trapped in a fire at the 3,500-foot level - few survived. Both mines closed in 1942.