Argonaut Mine, Jackson, Amador County

The Argonaut as seen today

Argonaut Mine, discovered 1850, and Kennedy Mine, discovered 1856, played dramatic roles in the economic development of California. They produced $105,268,760 in gold. Kennedy Mine has a vertical shaft of 5,912 feet, the deepest in the United States and changed mining methods in the Mother Lode.

Argonaut Mine was the scene of the Mother Lode's most tragic mine disaster. Forty-seven miners were trapped in a fire at the 3,500-foot level on August 27, 1922 -- a few survived. Both mines closed in 1942.

California Registered Historical Landmark No. 786

Plaque placed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with the Amador County Board of Supervisors, the Amador County Chamber of Commerce, and the Amador County Landmark Advisory Committee, February 3, 1968.