![]() ![]() It was carried to the office of the Sierra Buttes Mine, where it was boiled in strong nitric acid during the afternoon. But the remaining nugget, as it was taken out, weighed 104 pounds. During the first three weeks of their operations they extracted in the little sluice-boxes some $3,000.” One afternoon, according to Farish, he witnessed Frank and Tierney excitedly digging in a shallow shaft, the latter exclaiming “ My God! The whole bottom of the shaft is in solid gold! Look at that!” William and John Farish wished for the specimen to be taken out in one piece, the latter stating the two workers “ brought out a lump of gold from which several pieces from the size of a single to a double fist had already been broken off. Two trusted men were employed, Mexican Frank and Joe Tierney. He states “ The claim was re-located as the Monumental Mine, with the original owners holding their original interests. Farish, who wrote in the California Historical Society Quarterly of October 1924 that the discovery was made in the summer of 1868. Farish, an operator of the Monumental Mine at the time, had a brother, John B. The majority of modern publications I’ve found state that the discovery was made in September 1869 – however, may early accounts differ. ![]() They quickly began unearthing the rest of the nugget and couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw the ‘Monumental’ chunk of gold.” ![]() The Sierra County Historical Society states the specimen “ weighed 106 pounds and was discovered on the Sierra Buttes Mine property at approximately the eighth level in 1869… According to Carroll Hayes, whose family purchased the Sierra Buttes Mine in 1904, miners on their way to work at the mine saw a portion of the nugget on the trail after rain had washed away the dirt that had been covering it. Best Collection.” A replica of these 159 gold nuggets (weighing over 1,000 troy ounces in total) can be seen at the Sierra County courthouse the real collection is on display at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.Īnother replica of a great specimen known as the “Monumental Nugget” can be seen at the Kentucky Mine Museum in Sierra City. Perhaps the most commonly known gold discovery of the county is that of the Ruby Mine, known as the “C.L. Many of these discoveries have been well-documented while others have not. Sierra County has produced numerous impressive gold specimens since the Gold Rush of 1849. ![]()
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