Pounding, rather than grinding

Running the Yellow Jacket

 The Western Museum of Mining and Industry (WMMI) is home to an actual working stamp mill, the Yellow Jacket, that they fire up during special events a couple times a year. Stamp mills were used to pulverize ore from the mines.

In May, WMMI member Charlie Connell taught a Stamp Mill 101 course for anyone wanting to learn how to run the museum’s historically important Yellow Jacket II Stamp Mill. Included in this course were instructions on safety, how to run the various components such as the stamps themselves, the Wilfley Concentrating Table, and the water flow, how to care for the parts, and other related topics of interest. The museum may be conducting additional courses in the future.

If you’re interested in signing up for similar educational programs, please contact museum director Rick Sauers at rsauers@wmmi.org or call the museum at 719-488-0880. The Western Museum of Mining & Industry is located at 225 North Gate Boulevard in Colorado Springs (Exit 156 of Interstate 25).

Visit the museum’s website, www.wmmi.org, to learn more about the museum and its programs.

Photos by Rob Carrigan