Keyes Stamp Mill

Location: Lake Isabella, California

Field Office: Bakersfield Field Office

The discovery of Placer gold in the Kern River set off the Kern River Gold Rush of 1854-1855.  Gold was first discovered two years earlier by Richard Keyes.  He located a group of claims, later known as the Keyes Mine, in the Keyesville district.

The Keyes Stamp Mill consists of a small mine adit portal with processing areas, which included a metal compressor building, an abandoned 10 stamp mill, a partial stamp mill building, and other associated equipment.  The Mill is accessible through a locked gate on a BLM-managed road.

The BLM drafted a Preliminary Assessment and Site Investigation Report for the Keyes Stamp Mill.