{"nrhp_refnum":"78000382","name":"Great Sierra Mine Historic Site","other_names":["Dana Village"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"W of Lee Vining in Yosemite National Park","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lee Vining","county":"Tuolumne County","state":"CA","lat":37.92750113000005,"lon":-119.26912514099996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-05-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A historic mining site known as Dana Village, on Tioga Hill above Gaylor Lake in Yosemite National Park near Lee Vining, Tuolumne County, California. It was the support camp for the Great Sierra Mine, operated by the Great Sierra Consolidated Silver Mining Company from 1881 to 1884.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the site was the most intensive, though unprofitable, silver mining effort within the present Yosemite park boundary, giving it local significance in industry. One surviving cabin is locally significant architecturally for its rare dry-laid stone construction and high level of handcraftsmanship. The mining activity also fed the conservation debates that preceded the park's creation.","narrative":"Dana Village was the mountaintop camp of the Great Sierra Mine, high on Tioga Hill above Gaylor Lake in what is now Yosemite National Park. The Great Sierra Consolidated Silver Mining Company bought up local claims in 1881 and set up the community, with a post office branch, to work the ground year-round. Living conditions at about 11,000 feet proved harsh, and the miners soon moved down to Bennettville. The company drove a tunnel 1,784 feet and spent over $300,000 before collapsing in 1884; a second effort in 1933 also failed to reach the legendary Sheepherder Lode. Remains include five stone cabins, a powder house and scattered blacksmith shop timbers. One cabin, built of mortarless schist or slate slabs with walls about four feet thick at the base, is the best preserved. The site was listed for its role in local mining history and for the rare masonry of that cabin.","period_of_significance":"1881-1884","architect_builder":"Great Sierra Consolidated Silver Co.","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Ruins in fair condition: five stone cabins, a powder house and scattered blacksmith shop timbers remain. One cabin is relatively intact with its roof removed. Shafts are caved in, and mining equipment was moved to the Pioneer History Center at Wawona in the 1960s.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.813619-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/78000382.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000382/f9cf3ce123-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000382/f9cf3ce123-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"National Park Service","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Great_Sierra_Mine_structure_4.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">National Park Service</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Great_Sierra_Mine_structure_4.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123862276","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Sierra_Mine_Historic_Site","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5599961"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/tuolumne-county/great-sierra-mine-historic-site-78000382/"}