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Kennedy Tailing Wheels Park

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The Kennedy and most gold mines in California had to close in 1942 during World War II. Most, including the Kennedy, did not reopen after the war or ever again. Hence, the Kennedy Mining and Milling Company disincorporated in 1950 and sold its mine, real property, and plant to its last superintendent, Mark Eudey, and wife Frances. They, in 1955, deeded Wheels 1 & 2 and a half acre holding them to the County of Amador. Those wheels, however, were landlocked with no access.

The Kennedy Wheels, protected by corrugated steel sheds, operated with few interruptions 24-hours a day, from 1914 until the U.S. Government closed the mine in 1942. Soon after, when the price of scrap metal soared, the wheels sheds were dismantled revealing the wheels to the world and the elements for the first time in 28 years.They soon became a Mother Lode mining tourist attraction and were probably the most photographed relic of the quartz mining era in California. They also became part of the (City of) Jackson Wheels Park.

The State of California, Amador County and the City of Jackson all have made major investments to preserve two of four Kennedy Tailing Wheels, the most significant relics of the state's golden age of quartz mining. They are unique; they are iconic. Now, they should survive for generations to come.

Jackson Gate Road
209-223-1646
cinfo@ci.jackson.ca.us

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