Processing ore from the great mines of Butte, Montana required significant industrial capacity spread over a large area of the state. With over 30 photos, this article takes a detailed look at the massive facility known as the Great Falls Reduction Department, where copper and zinc were refined into finished products.
Encampment, Wyoming was the economic center of the Encampment copper district in southern Wyoming. The town was founded in 1897 and had its best days between 1902 and 1907 when the population topped 3,000. This members-only photo collection contains over 20 images from Encampment’s mining days.
Within a few years of the 1890 gold discovery at Cripple Creek, the area had transformed into one of the world’s fastest growing gold districts. Thieves, bandits and buncos were attracted to the towns of new district by the hundreds, and Cripple Creek became known for its lawlessness.
From the The Mineralogical Record Volume 14, No. 5, September-October 1983: “Since mining first began in the Ray area more than 100 years ago, over two billion dollars in ore and thousands of fine mineral specimens have been removed. Superb examples of native copper, cuprite and chrysocolla are still being discovered and preserved.”
In Montana, 54 mining districts have each have produced more than 10,000 ounces of gold. The largest producers are Butte, Helena, Marysville, and Virginia City, each having produced more than one million ounces. Twenty seven other districts are each credited with between 100,000 and one million ounces of gold production.
This monthly recap is a members-only feature. Thank you for your support!
“Gathering Gold – An Illustrated Treatise on Modern Methods of Operating Gold Mines and Marketing Their Product” by General Frank Hall gives a fascinating look at the mines of Bobtail Hill at Blackhawk, Colorado around 1900.
This monthly recap is a members-only feature. Thank you for your support!
From the Mineralogical Record, Volume 15, No. 1, January-February 1984: “The Darwin district has been a source of lead, silver and tungsten for over 100 years, and nearly 100 different mineral species have been found there. Its long history and interesting mineralogy have made the area popular with California mining historians, economic geologists and mineral collectors.”
