Standard Mill - Bodie, California

Photo Description

The mine was known as the Bunker Hill Mine when it was registered in July 1861. It passed through several hands before being sold for $67,000 to four partners who changed the name and incorporated as the Standard Consolidated Mining Company in April 1877.

The Standard Mine yielded nearly $15 million over 25 years, and its success caused the 1878 rush to Bodie. Within a year, the population rose from about 20 to an estimated 10,000 miners, gamblers and other entrepreneurs.

The mill was destroyed by fire in 1898, but was rebuilt the following year. Between 1860 and 1941, the Bodie Mining District produced close to $100 million in gold and silver. During those years, gold prices ranged from $20 to $35 an ounce; the price of silver ranged from 70 cents to $1 an ounce. The mill last operated in 1938. The Standard was the most successful of the 30 different mining companies that operated in the Bodie Mining District.

Text from the Bodie State Historic Park tour book

Photo Details