San Bernardino National Forest Big Bear - Gold Mountain Mine &
Mill San Francisco multimillionaire, Elias J. "Lucky" Baldwin
started a "gold rush" in 1874 when he constructed a large 40
stamp mill at the base of "Gold Mountain." His stamp mill roared
to life in March of 1875 a mining town called Bairdstown, with 2
saloons, a butcher shop, and 2 boarding houses had sprung into
being nearby at Baldwin Lake. The amount of gold recovered from
Gold Mountain, however, fell far below expectations, and "Lucky"
Baldwin shut the mill down after only seven months of operation.
The little town quickly was deserted and became a ghost town.
The stamp mill sat idle until it caught fire and burned to the
ground in August of 1876. In 1899, Baldwin and a man named
"Captain" J.R. DeLaMar struck a deal to build a new 40 stamp on
the hill above the original mill. DeLaMar wanted to try a new
cyanide process that would dramatically increase the amount of
gold recovered from the low grade ore. By September of 1900, the
new stamp mil