Northstar Mining Museum, Grass Valley

About Northstar Mining Museum

The North Star Powerhouse Mining Museum in Grass Valley preserves the region's mining heritage through exhibits and equipment that document both the industrial process and the lives of miners who worked underground. The museum's centerpiece is the world's largest water wheel, a Pelton wheel built in 1895 that powered compressed air machinery for mine operations. Visitors explore the restored powerhouse building itself, a stone structure originally constructed to supply air for mines until 1935. The museum features displays about mining techniques, miner equipment, and the communities that depended on gold extraction. The restored facility includes the historic powerhouse engine room and mechanical systems. Exhibits educate visitors about the engineering and determination required to extract gold from the region's mines during the local mining era.