Aaron Walton – Western Mining History

Fourth of July Mine – Boulder County, Colorado

The Fourth of July Mine was an ambitious mining venture that never lived up to the expectations of its owners and investors. Located high in the mountains west of Boulder, the property attracted repeated investment over more than six decades and was developed with a deep shaft and a tunnel nearly 2,000 feet long. Yet for all this effort, recorded production amounted to only 115 tons of ore.

The Ikeda Mine: A Japanese Mining Venture in British Columbia

The Ikeda Mine was one of the most unusual early mining ventures on the coast of British Columbia. Located on the southeastern shore of Moresby Island (now part of Haida Gwaii), it was developed by Japanese entrepreneurs at a time when nearly all of British Columbia’s mining industry was controlled by British, Canadian, or American interests.

Black Oak Mine – Tuolumne County, California

The Black Oak Mine, located near Soulsbyville, California, was a gold producer that operated intermittently from 1878 through the 1920s. These exclusive photographs were provided by a descendant of the mine’s superintendent.

The Lot Jumpers of Goldfield, Nevada

Although claim jumping is often associated with Western mining districts, another form of land speculation was also common: town lot jumping. In booming mining camps, town lots could be extraordinarily valuable, placing them beyond the reach of many newcomers. To secure housing, or in some cases simply to seize something of value, squatters occupied land belonging to mining companies, townsite developers, and even lots that had already been legally sold to private individuals.

Valley View Mine – Placer County, California

The Valley View Mine, also known historically as the Whiskey Hill Mine, Whiskey Diggings, and Harpending Mine, was one of the more unusual metal mines in the western foothills of Placer County, California. Unlike the region’s better-known quartz gold mines, Valley View produced primarily copper, with secondary gold, silver, lead, and zinc.

The Mines of Boulder County, Colorado: Photographs by Joseph Sturtevant

Joseph Sturtevant, also known as “Rocky Mountain Joe”, was a professional photographer based in Boulder, Colorado. During his time there, the mining industry in Boulder County was thriving, and he documented much of it in photographs throughout the 1890s and the first decade of the twentieth century.

Stonewall Mine – San Diego County, California

The Stonewall Mine, located approximately seven miles south of Julian, California, was the largest gold producer in San Diego County, with total production estimated at approximately two million dollars. Although mining activity at the site began in the 1870s, its most productive period occurred between 1886 and 1892.

Where To Find Gold: The Top Ten US Counties

Evaluating the top counties for their potential for gold discovery can be done by examining several important factors, including historical production, modern mining activity, availability of water, and whether land is open to prospecting. One effective way to consider all of these factors at once is to follow the footsteps of modern experts in the field, the miners and prospectors who are already finding gold.

The White Pine Silver Rush

Deep in what was a vast wilderness in eastern Nevada, the White Pine district experienced one of the most intense and short-lived mining excitements in the history of the American West. What began as a modest discovery in the mid-1860s escalated into a boom that drew thousands of miners, speculators, and investors to the heights of Treasure Hill.

The Farwell Ditch

This little-known history of the Farwell Ditch in the Hahn’s Peak Mining District (located approximately thirty miles north of Steamboat Springs, Colorado) was provided by author Nolan Farwell, a distant relative of John V. Farwell, for whom the ditch was named.