Steamscape: New Yellow Jacket Mine area. A V&T morning freight rounds the long curve north of the Yellow Jacket Tunnel, and will shortly reach more or less level track on the last mile of her run to Virginia City, NV. The train is currently passing through the historic site of the New Yellow Jacket Mine, which was located on the other side of the tracks. Named for the original 1859 Yellow Jacket Claim, this shaft was built in the mid-1870s, and reportedly reached a depth of 3,600 ft., which is pretty astounding for the time. A large complex of buildings boilers and pumps was situation on the site, to facilitate the operation and pump out the water that was a continual problem. When the claim was tapped out, the complex was removed. All that remains today are the concrete footings of some structures and covers over what would otherwise be dangerous mine shafts. The rest is just barren ground. Without the historic photos and stories of the 19th century bonanza here, it would be difficult for us to imagine what this area looked like nearly 150 years ago.
