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. Continue Reading
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. Continue Reading
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. Continue Reading
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. Continue Reading
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. Continue Reading
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. Continue Reading
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. Continue Reading
Gathering Gold: The Mines of Bobtail Hill
“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. Continue Reading
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. Continue Reading
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. Continue Reading
