While everyone else was cozy at home...it was me, the Planning Commission, Cartoonist Bob Crabb, Fire Chef Tony Clarabut and about 150 people who HAD to give one last comment on the draft EIR for the mine. Of course, most of them had already commented during one of the 2 zillion hearings that have already been held, but hey, that's democracy in action, right?
Mine hater Greg Martin was applauded -- and then 2 teachers came up to him and asked if he'd speak at their class. Instant celebrity!
Bob Crabb said he played in mine tailings as a child and seemed just fine, thank you very much. Of course those were the days we rode bikes without helmets, sat in the back of pickups going 50 mph, ate the dressing right out of the turkey (!) and let the mayonaise-infested salads sit for hours at a picnic. Nowadays people DRIVE their kids to the bus stop and then sit in the car until the kid gets on the bus. I don't get it. Are child abductions rampant in Nevada County?
Just wondering...
Thanks Russ, very interesting. DC
Posted by: DaveC | January 23, 2009 at 07:20 AM
Dave,
I went out to the dam site last year and looked for the old wooden dam, but it was not visible from the path on the west side of the dam. Planning another trip on the east side of the old tailings dam to look for evidence. I do not have any pictures from the 50s. I have posted about working Empire Mine on my blog. If people are interested I will write up some more experiences and post them here.
Posted by: Russ Steele | January 22, 2009 at 06:33 PM
Russ, by any chance are there any remnants of your craftsmanship left? Perhaps a skeleton of the work?
Posted by: DaveC | January 22, 2009 at 03:05 PM
Russ,
I think the stories of the old miners are fascinating and I hope that history doesn't get lost! Someone should record all these stories and put a book together. It would be a great project and I'll bet there's even some grant money out there somewhere.
Posted by: Dixie Redfearn | January 22, 2009 at 07:20 AM
I worked on the Empire Mine Tailings pond during my Christmas vacation in 1953/54. The mine carpenters had built a wooden dam that filled from the creek. It had a float that tripped a latch, and the whole front of the dam fell forward, emptying the dam in one great rush of water. Counter weights closed the gate, and the dam filled again in about 15 to 20 minutes.
My job was to help the dam tender move a portable barrier of redwood boards, 12 inches high and 16 feet long, held two high on 2x4 stakes with bailing wire. The board wall directed the water toward a two foot tall bank of tailings sand. The water cut the bank and carried way the sand over the tailings dam into Wolf Creek. Two people working together could move the board wall closer to the cutting bank much faster, than one person alone. One of us holding the stake, the other pounding with a sledge hammer. We spent most of our time moving the stakes and boards closer to the sand bank, trying the beat the next flood from the dam.
Working on the tailings dam was interesting and to my knowledge did me no harm, other than some sore mussels.
Posted by: Russ Steele | January 21, 2009 at 09:59 PM