The Kennedy Wheels

Amador City, CA: Amador Progress-News. Very Good. 1969. 2nd Printing. Stapled wraps. B&W Illustrations; This is a trade sized booklet with cardstock covers and a stapled spine. The ooklet is in Very Good condition and was issued without a dust jacket. There is a previous owner's inked name on the front cover. The text pages are clean and bright. "The monstrous, fifty-eight foot diameter Kennedy Tailing Wheels are a one-of-a-kind creation. Although not built during the Gold Rush, these huge wooden wheels were a direct result of a Gold Rush event and are probably the most remembered artifacts of any visit to Jackson today. The wheels were built in 1914 in response to federal anti-debris laws and court cases reaching back to the 1880’s; no longer could the mines dump their wastes into the rivers and streams, polluting the water and causing serious flood dangers to the farmers in the valleys below. All mine tailings had to be impounded. As the Kennedy Mine’s impound dam was located behind two small hills and about a half a mile away from the mill, the wheels were built to lift the tailings up over the hills to the dam. (Jackson CA webpage) .