Goldfield, Nevada: The Arthur Allen Albums

Photographer Arthur Allen captured many important scenes from Goldfield, Nevada’s peak years – from the budding camp that was just a collection of tents in the fall of 1903, to the thriving community that was described as “The World’s Greatest Gold Camp”, and was Nevada’s largest city by the middle of the decade. “Goldfield, Nevada: The Arthur Allen Albums” presents over 100 photos of the city, the mines, and cultural events that occurred during Goldfield’s boom years.

Silver Lake Basin: A Mining Chronicle

Published in the 2016 Mining History JournalBy Larry Godwin Click here to download the notes for this article Silver Lake, which early settlers called Arrastra Lake, lies in a basin at the head of Arrastra Creek, four miles southeast of Silverton, Colorado, near the center of the Las Animas Mining District, in what was then

Famous Mineral Localities: The Glove Mine

From the The Mineralogical Record, Volume 14, No. 5, September-October, 1983: “From 1955 to 1959 the Glove mine, in the Santa Rita Mountains, produced thousands of fine wulfenite specimens. A variety of attractive colors and distinctive habits qualify this wulfenite as among Arizona’s best.”

The Mines and Minerals of Leadville

The Colorado Mining Directory of 1883 called Leadville the “natural successor to Australia and California.” In the century since that statement was made, interest has never waned and production has never entirely ceased. Not only valuable ore but also fine mineral specimens have been recovered and preserved from many of the nearly 2000 mines in the Leadville area.

Death Valley’s Harmony Borax Works

Death Valley’s Harmony Borax Works operated during the 1880s. The borax operations of Death Valley made the “20 Mule Teams”, the wagon trains that hauled the finished borax across the desert, famous in American culture.

Photos from the Thunder Mountain Gold Rush in Idaho

The rush to Thunder Mountain in early 1902 was one of the most significant events in Idaho mining history, and one of the West’s most harrowing survival stories. A site visitor donated an album of photos from the area during the height of the excitement here around 1902. The photos have been restored and are presented here for supporting members.

The Western Miner: A Photo Collection

While many romantic tales have been told of the prospectors that discovered the quartz leads that would become great mines, and of the mine owners and entrepreneurs that built empires of industry in what was a vast wilderness, it was the miner that ultimately did the difficult and dangerous work that extracted the great wealth of the West.

The Hamburg Mine and Vicinity, Yuma County, Arizona

From the The Mineralogical Record, Volume 11, No. 3.2, May-June, 1980: “Brilliant, transparent crystals of vanadinite with an unsurpassed, deep red color have been found since the late 1800’s at the Hamburg mine, Yuma County, Arizona. Although sometimes overshadowed by the nearby Red Cloud mine, this old Dana locality still produces some of Arizona’s finest vanadinite in crystals from micromount size to more than a centimeter.”

A Fortune in Gold: Ingots of the S.S. Central America

A vast fortune in gold ingots were lost to the sea in 1857 with the sinking of the S.S. Central America. Much of the gold has now been salvaged from the wreck, and in addition to the value of the bullion, the ingots serve as an important historical record of the private assayers that operated in California during the 1850s. “A Fortune in Gold: Ingots of the S.S. Central America” examines some of the stunning gold ingots that have sold at auction in recent years.

Lost Mines of Arizona

From The Mineralogical Record, Volume 14, No. 5, September-October, 1983: “The mountains and plains of Arizona are vast, complex, well mineralized and largely uninhabited even today. No one would dare to suggest that Arizona has given up all its secrets, and that no deposits or mineral occurrences remain to be found…”