The museum is called the Casa Grande, so not surprisingly, the two-story, 27-room building in San Jose’s Almaden Valley is big. Situated behind a white picket fence and surrounded by several acres of gardens, the Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum is a jewel located at the southern end of the city.
The building recently reopened after nearly a year of renovation designed to upgrade various systems in a structure that dates from the 1850s. Run by the county of Santa Clara since it opened in 1998, the museum is a good starting point for exploration of the New Almaden Historic District that surrounds it.
During its heyday, Casa Grande was home for top managers and provided lodging for business visitors who came to see the New Almaden mines, which were in operation from the 1840s to the 1920s when cinnabar and mercury were extracted from the adjacent mountains.
Thousands of miners lived in rough mining camps nearby. In those early days, downtown San Jose was a two-hour, 11-mile stagecoach ride away, while it took five hours to get to San Francisco.
The Casa Grande ground floor contained a library, parlor, formal drawing room and dining room. Today it is furnished like it was in the 19th century, with luxurious furniture, a piano, colorful wallpaper and a silver tea set.
Museum exhibits clearly illustrate the contrast between how well the managers lived and the harshness of being a miner. Interactive displays (visitors can touch buttons) show how mining was done, and the dangers of the hard work done by the miners, who lived in spartan quarters and made $30 a month. Mine managers made $2,000 a month and lived rent-free at Casa Grande.
The mines extracted cinnabar, a reddish mineral that contains mercury, aka quicksilver.
Mercury was a key ingredient for processing gold and silver in the 19th century. Its dangers weren’t well known in those days.
Open to the public on Fridays through Sundays from noon to 4 p.m., the museum is free to enter, though donations are requested. During the week, elementary school-age children visit, according to park employee Colter Cook, a park interpreter.
Museum guests often are surprised by the building and its exhibits.
“Many of the visitors exclaim that they never knew about local cinnabar and mercury related to the Gold Rush,” said Parks Program Coordinator Lynda Will. “Many are struck between the economic and living differences between the mine manager and the workers on the hill. They appreciate that we tell a multicultural story that highlights the significant work the miners did in management’s pursuit of wealth.”
After visiting the museum, be sure to walk around the surrounding gardens, which are filled with trees and in the shadow of a wooden tower built in the 1850s. John McLaren, who designed San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, assisted with the formal landscaping of the grounds.
Each summer, the museum hosts a “Play Like a Miner” event, where visitors can get a taste of mining life. Will said about 500 visitors typically attend.
The museum is in the New Almaden National Historic District, a mix of houses and small commercial buildings. Pick up a brochure at the museum and go on a 1.6 mile-walking tour showcasing homes (many residences have plaques out front explaining their history) and buildings on both sides of nearby Alamitos Creek. There are no sidewalks, but white stripes on the road and a 25 mph speed limit provide some protection from passing vehicles. Other tour highlights are the Hacienda Cemetery, La Forêt, an upscale French restaurant in a historic building, and St. Anthony Catholic Church.
A short walk from the Casa Grande is New Almaden Quicksilver County Park, with 4,163 acres of restored former mining land open for hiking and picnicking.
Casa Grande and the Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum, at 21350 Almaden Road, San Jose, are open noon to 4 p.m. Fridays-Sundays; a $2 donation for admission is suggested. Visit parks.sccgov.org for more information.