Cousin Jacks

When the Empire Mine boomed, the skilled miners came, mostly from Cornwall, England. Thousands of years of extracting tin made them experts in the mining industry. As the mine grew and the demand for miners grew, the Cornishmen were quick to recommend their friends and relatives because they wanted to work with someone they could trust. This unlimited supply of relatives soon earned them the nickname, "Cousin Jacks."



Now the Cornishmen also carried a round lunch pail, and it held their tea in the bottom and the top compartment held their prized pasty from home.

Pasties are basically meat, potatoes, and onions wrapped in crust and baked.

Ron's grandmother made pasties. Ron's grandfather was a miner too.

The Hilltop store in Lead South Dakota sold pasties to the miners before shift.

Ron loves pasties.

Imagine our delight to learn about a restaurant down the hill from the Empire Mine in Grass Valley that sells pasties.

Of course, I ordered tea. Of course the tea cup utterly delighted me!



The pipin' hot pasty...



and pot pie...



and the details that charmed me...






Even the most reluctant eaters discovered an affinity for pasties, which were some of the best I have eaten!

We will be back.

In the meantime, we headed out to explore the streets of Grass Valley.