The Top 25 U.S. Gold Districts
Of the 508 distinct gold districts identified in the western states by the USGS, these are the top 25 gold producers during the golden age of western mining. Continue Reading
The Comstock Lode: Nevada’s “Big Bonanza”
The Comstock Lode of Nevada was one of the richest deposits of precious metals ever discovered, and the mining bonanza that occurred there is one of America’s most significant historical events. This collection of images captures the incredible towns, mines, and mills of this magnificent era of western mining. Continue Reading
Mill Locations of the Comstock Lode
The Comstock Lode of Nevada was one of the richest deposits of precious metals ever discovered, and the mining bonanza that occurred there is one of America’s most significant historical events. This article looks at the distribution of the over 200 mills that were constructed to process the Comstock ore. Continue Reading
A Tour of Colorado Mining Towns
This tour of Colorado mining towns is organized by county, and represents the current contents of the Colorado Mining Towns database at Western Mining History. Continue Reading
Best Historical Photos: 1900s Nevada Boom Towns
The first decade of the 1900s was an exciting time for the state of Nevada. Most mining rushes were over in the West, but Nevada had numerous new discoveries during this time. Mining booms occurred that resembled the great excitements of the 1860s and 1870s, and mining camps quickly developed into fantastic cities. Continue Reading
The California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush was the most significant event in the history of the settlement of the western frontier. The initial discovery was made in January 1848, but news traveled slowly and although many miners arrived in 1848, the beginning of the Gold Rush was the following year in 1849. Continue Reading
The Western Prospector
Dating back to the earliest days of the California Gold Rush, prospectors were looked upon by the general public as the solitary heroes of the western frontier. They were responsible for the rapid discovery of California’s seemingly endless placer gold mines, and soon were tracing those placers back to their sources in what became the region’s great underground mines. “The Western Prospector” details the history of prospectors in the West, including numerous historical photos. Continue Reading
Shorty Harris and the Bullfrog Claim
Shorty Harris was the Death Valley region’s most famous prospector. He discovered the Bullfrog mine that started the great rush to Rhyolite around 1905. Despite his success as a prospector, he never became wealthy, and preferred the simple life of a desert prospector. Continue Reading
Home Sweet Home: Miner’s Cabins of the Frontier West
The rugged individuals that opened the frontier West were prospecting, mining, and attempting to survive in what was a vast wilderness at the time. Many of the basics of survival had to be sourced directly from the miner’s immediate surroundings, and shelter was one of the first necessities of life that had to be addressed. Continue Reading
The Stagecoach: A Photo Essay on Western Travel
Text By Gary Carter. Photos sourced by Western Mining History from various archives. Author’s note: this is a short synopsis of early stagecoach activity in the far west. Please note that different sources may provide slightly varying numbers when describing coaches, men, way stations and animals used. The readers are directed to the bibliography for Continue Reading
