Mine Office

Historical Photo - North Shaft

View of Head Frame From Mine Office

Head Frame

Historical Photo - Kennedy Tailings Wheel (Covered)

Historical Photo - Kennedy Tailings Wheel

Aerial View

Historical Photo - Mine & Mill Before the Fire

Historical Photo - Mine & Mill During the Fire

Welcome to the Kennedy Gold Mine:

The Kennedy Mine, famous for being one of the deepest gold mines in the world (at 5912 feet), demonstrates how gold changed an entire way of life in California. Although gold was known to be present and was mined by the Spanish and Mexicans, the California Gold Rush did not begin until after James Marshall's discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848. Between 1848 and 1858, California exploded from being a largely unpopulated agrarian state into a vital, fast growing and exciting part of the United States. Prospected in 1860, reorganized in 1886 and continuously run until 1942, the Kennedy Gold Mine produced approximately $34,280,000 in gold according to the CA Dept. of Conservation. One of the tallest head frames in existence today can be seen at the Kennedy Mine. The mine also had one of the largest stamp mills in the Mother Lode, moving tailings by means of huge wooden wheels, some of which are still standing.

Kennedy Gold Mine Surface Tours:

The Kennedy Mine, located near Jackson California (printable map), is open every Saturday, Sunday and Holiday, March through October. Admission is $10.00 for ages 13 to adult, $6.00 for youngsters 6 through 12, and free to those under 6. Group tours are available, by reservation, all year. The admission price entitles you to a highly educational tour of the grounds, about 1.5 hours, or you may, if you wish, purchase a self-guided tour book in our gift shop and wander on your own. Some prefer to bring a picnic lunch and just soak in the ambiance of this historic spot.

For more information, email: info@kennedygoldmine.com 
Or phone us at: (209) 223-9542
Teachers, Educators: We have a special tour designed for your students.

On the Kennedy Gold Mine surface tour, visitors see the mine office building where gold flakes were melted into large bricks to ship by Wells Fargo to San Francisco. This is also where ore samples were processed to see if a particular underground area was worthy of further investigation. See the stamp and gold recovery mill, tailing wheels, a steam boiler and the huge steel head frame whose pulleys guided the miners into the bowels of the earth. You will also see the building where the men changed into their mining garb before dropping nearly a mile underground to work. You will view a historic video of the men working circa 1914, and much more. Visit the Kennedy Gold Mine and gain new insight into the complications and hardships of the miner's way of life.

Kennedy Gold Mine Gift Shop:

The Kennedy Gold Mine Gift Shop offers a wonderful variety of gold related items from Kennedy T-shirts and memorabilia, to a good selection of books about gold mining. You may also purchase our famous and fascinating 7 minute video seen on the tour, showing rare and unique footage of the mine in action.

Need more information? Here are some free downloads:

Kennedy Gold Mine Brochure (1.6MB PDF)
A Short History of the Kennedy Gold Mine (11.6K PDF)
Geology of the Kennedy Mine (9K PDF)
Kennedy Mine Gold Production (8.9K PDF)
Kennedy Mine Self-Guided Tour (1.01MB PDF)
Sponsor the Kennedy Mine (401K PDF)
Kennedy Mine: Local Restaurants and Accommodations (164K PDF)
These files require Adobe® Reader® (20.8 MB)

The Kennedy Mine Foundation:

The mission of the Kennedy Mine Foundation is to protect, conserve, restore the historic structures, and share the history of the property known as the Kennedy Mine. The Kennedy Mine Foundation works to retain the historic value, scenic beauty, natural treasures and wildlife habitat for future generations. The Kennedy Mine Foundation is a non-profit California Public Benefit Corporation operating under the 501(c)3 regulations.

We hope you will come and enjoy the Kennedy Gold Mine with us and perhaps become involved in the volunteer effort. Donations are welcome and are tax deductible. For more information, please see "Sponsor the Kennedy Mine". Come and visit the Kennedy Mine!