From the Donovan Mill Tour Desk:
It’s September and our grand 2025 Experiment at the Donovan Mill is nearing a close for the year. Last fall the question was asked; “Can a dedicated bunch of History Nuts actually run a Gold and Silver Stamp Mill going back to the 1890’s with nothing but good intentions and buckets of grease?”.
At this point the answer appears to be yes, as we have educated and entertained visitors through the summer. Even though the stamps demonstrations were only two times a month the private tours in between really added up (We are exhausted). The word is starting to get out and soon we may not be the “Biggest secret on the Comstock.” Recent internet searches are showing videos and photos from 2025, where there were previously only 5 and 10 year old hits of what looked like an abandoned mill. We seem to be on our way, and we’ll know we are there when the Docent team starts complaining about too many visitors!
A couple of the claims we make on the tours have started to sound a bit grandiose. Are we really the “Most complete preserved Mill of this type in the country” and “The only place in the country where you can see these types of vintage mill stamps run in the mill they were used in”? The latter claim comes from a 2016 and 2022 list of Operational stamp Mills by the late, world recognized expert on stamps, Charlie Connell. On the list are some very fine museums with operating stamps, but we seem to be the only one that has not been moved from somewhere else and re-constructed. The level of restoration work going on the country toward this historical preservation is absolutely mind boggling.
One exception to the list seems to be the Kentucky Mine and Mill museum in Sierra City California. They are a very well preserved mill with their original stamps in place. A recent visit showed a very well done museum and tour, by some enthusiastic Historians. When asked about their operational status they said the mill was “Operable”, although Mr. Connell didn’t feel that they met the standard of “Operational.” On the tour the Kentucky Mill Docent hand turns a Pelton wheel that drives a belt and indeed one 1100 pound stamp raises and falls with a thump. “Operable” seems to mean they could be “Operational” if they wanted to, but they choose not to. They had concerns about the stability of their structure and are playing it safe. A very reasonable position. As well preserved as the Kentucky Mill is, they still don’t knock out our first claim as “most Complete”, as they did not have the updated cyanide process. If you get a chance this is a very worthwhile museum to visit.
On the same “Gold Country” excursion the Empire mine State Park and North Star Mining museum were visited. Empire Mine pre-dates the Comstock by 10 years and serves as a monument to the scale of effort made in the extraction of gold. They have a room with a model of 367 miles of underground workings. It’s unbelievable to see a physical representation of it, and then you think that the Comstock Lode has something like 750 miles of tunnels. Fantastic!
The North Star is right down the hill from the Empire Mine and features some impressive equipment. The biggest artefact in the building is the 30 foot Pelton wheel installed in 1898 and used to generate power for over 40 years. One local Docent told of sneaking into the abandoned building as a Kid and riding the wheel like a Ferris Wheel. The city tried to put a stop to it by chaining the wheel, but local Kids had access to their fathers’ hacksaws.
The North Star has several Mill stamps including a running Risdon Iron Works 1897 model. It’s an example of the point made earlier about amazing restored and operational stamps that are just not in a mill they were used. There was one machine used in the manufacture of dynamite sticks that was quite unique and it was fully restored and operating. The North Star had several “Salesmen’s Sample” working metal Mill stamps about 18 inches high. We will be scouring eBay for one of those, but in the meantime our operational wooden model donated by the Douglas County Historical Society is just fine for now.
In September we have two run days scheduled and then our closer for the year on the 27th, the Early Days Gas Engine (EDGE) meet. If you visited the mill this year and saw the stamps run we appreciate your support. As we try to convey on the tours this is a rare and unique thing to see, and our reward is meeting some great Visitors who get the historical significance. If you have not been to the Donovan Mill yet, keep an eye on the Comstock Foundation website for our 2026 plans. Thank you.
