Cave Creek Museum will introduce its Golden Reef Stamp Mill exhibit on Saturday, Feb. 25.
Registration is required by calling 480-488-2764.
Guests will see the newly completed diorama of Cave Creek Museum’s Golden Reef Stamp Mill in its history section.
The model shows what the stamp mill looked like when it was on one side of Continental Mountain. The detailed and accurate model is the works of long-time museum volunteer Jay F. Williams. Williams is better known as “Grandpa Jay” by the hundreds of students he has guided through the museum.
The amazing Golden Reef Stamp Mill and Tramway is Arizona’s only fully operational ten-stamp ore crushing mill. The real 10, 1,000-lb. stamps slam down in synchronized motion to pound ore removed from the mine into fine gravel.
The stamp mill was brought from its former location at the Golden Reef Mine on Continental Mountain to Cave Creek Museum, which has the only fully operational mining stamp mill in its original mining district in Arizona; it is located five miles from its site on the mountain. The Golden Reef stamp mill runs the second Saturday of every month through May.
The giant stamp mill is connected to a working tramway and ore carts that carry the ore to be pulverized by the stamp mill. In addition, the Arizona Gold Mining Experience features blacksmithing and gold panning.
The 52-year-old museum’s mission is to preserve the artifacts of the prehistory, history, culture and legacy of the Cave Creek Mining District and the Cave Creek/Carefree foothills area through education, research and interpretive exhibits.
Open October to May, the Cave Creek Museum is at 6140 E. Skyline Drive in Cave Creek. Its website is cavecreekmuseum.org.