Mayflower Mill (Sunnyside Mill)

"Super cool look into the milling process of gold, silver, and other metals. While th original mill was built in the 1920's, it was active until 1991 and decommissioned in 1995, it offers a good look at how things were done when safety was not much of a consideration. It is a work in progress as the mill was gifted back to the town to use as a museum. While short on funds to make it th way they would like, they have done a good job of explaining the machines and th milling process while leaving many things as they were in the 90's to keep the human element.

If you go, look for Freddie. Freddie is an old time mill worker and current prospector, he is very knowledgeable on the equipment and processes and is more than happy to answer questions. We spent close to an hour just chatting and throwing questions at him.

We will absolutely be back again to spend more time checking things out and learning more."

Kris Holt

"I'm really glad I stopped here. What I was expecting versus what I saw on this excellent self-guided tour of the Mayflower Gold Mill... I was kind of expecting the ore mill to perhaps be more building than equipment, with equipment missing that had been removed for one reason or another. Boy was I ever wrong!!

All of the equipment is in place, intact, and looks like they just shut off the lights and left. It was fascinating and very educational to be able to walk through the mill and see the equipment that handled each stage of processing, from the arrival of the ore to the production of "gold sponge".

There are laminated information sheets posted at various places along the self-guided tour that explain what a piece of equipment is and what role it played in the processing of the ore.

There are a lot more steps and processes and interesting equipment than you might think!

What's really cool about this place is that all of the equipment is there, in their normal positions to handle the flow of ore processing.

A lot of times we see one or two pieces of equipment in some museum, and we can kind of get a feel of what it did, but it is still out of context. It's very different and much more instructive to see it all put together.

I thought the self-guided tour was great, as well as the guide that got us started off on the tour. It's a go at your own pace and you may go faster or slower depending on how many of the interpretive explanations you read along the way. I spend about 2 hours there.

Even if you're not all that interested in learning the flow of ore processing, or mining in general, the equipment itself is visually quite interesting to look at.

Notes:

The Mayflower Gold Mill is on the road that heads further out to the Old Hundred Gold Mine Tour. The self-guided tour is all inside the mill building (shaded). There are sturdy metal stairs with railings that will walk up, down, and around the interior of the mill. There is a restroom and gift shop onsite.

I'd suggest doing both this and the Old Hundred Gold Mine tour (which is about mining ore, the Mayflower Gold Mill Tour is about processing ore). If you're watching your money, the Mayflower Gold Mill is almost a 1/3 less expensive than the Old Hundred Gold Mine tour although they are two very different experiences (both good)."

Warren

"WOW!! Our whole group (10; aged 2yrs and up) had a wonderful time!! Our local tour guide was absolutely wonderful and had so much knowledge to share!! Freddy was his name, he really made our tour special! His son Mark and tall Mark were also very nice and accommodating as well! This is a must see along with so many others in and near Silverton, Colorado."

Marissa Cadle