Rawley Mine – Bonanza District, Colorado
The Rawley mine in Colorado’s Bonanza district created a lot of excitement in the area during the early 1880s. However, difficulties bringing the mine into production would result in over four decades of ownership changes and large capital losses until the mine finally realized its potential in the 1920s.
Terra Incognita – The Search for Minerals in Spanish Arizona
From The Mineralogical Record, Volume 14, No. 2, March-April, 1983: “Nearly a century before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, Spaniards were exploring what is now southern Arizona. They found a number of important deposits including those at Ajo and Jerome.”
Mongst Mines and Miners – Cornwall 1893
In this article, we take a field trip to Cornwall in 1893, featuring a collection of photos that showcase the underground workings of the mines that were famous throughout the world.
The Old Yuma Mine
From The Mineralogical Record, Volume 14, No. 2, March-April, 1983: “The Old Yuma mine, near Tucson, has produced North America’s finest vanadinite specimens and is also well known for large and beautiful yellow wulfenite crystals. Sizeable pockets of these minerals have been found since the 1880’s and are still being found today.”
Stevens Mine – Argentine District, Colorado
The Stevens mine is located in the Argentine district of Clear Creek County, Colorado. The mine was notable for the very difficult location of the vein that was at about 12,500 feet in elevation on the face of a cliff on McClellan mountain.
Arizona’s Kofa Gold District
Arizona’s Kofa district was a significant producer of gold between 1897 and 1911. This article summarizes the history of the two primary mines of the district – the King of Arizona and the North Star. Featuring the photography of Owen Kennedy.
Grand Encampment: A Wyoming Copper District
The Encampment district is notable for the sixteen-mile-long aerial tram that linked the mill and smelter at the town of Encampment with the Ferris-Haggarty mine. At the time it was completed in 1902 it was the longest aerial tramway in the world. Grand Encampment: A Wyoming Copper District examines the history and mining towns of this Wyoming copper district.
The Great Falls Reduction Department
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 Photos
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.
