Arizona of the 1800’s was a state defined by harsh desert topography, extreme isolation, fierce native tribes determined to defend their homes from outsiders, and a certain degree of frontier lawlessness. These factors contributed to Arizona getting a later start in the Western mining booms than some of the other states. Arizona remained a territory Continue Reading
The stagecoach has become an iconic symbol of the American West. In remote parts of the western frontier, the stagecoach was the only form of public transportation for years or decades before being replaced with trains or later roads and automobiles. Continue Reading
The ore that came out of western mines usually had to be milled to separate the valuable metals from the waste rock. Mills of many types were built to treat the variety of ores coming out of the mines. “Winning the Metal: Ore Mills of the West” takes a look at some of the more common mill processes and includes numerous photos of the West’s great mills. Continue Reading
The remains of mining-era arrastras are fairly common in the West, but what exactly are they? The short answer is that the arrastra was the most primitive method used to crush ore into a fine enough powder that the precious metals could be separated from the host rock. While many people are familiar with the Continue Reading
WMH Gold Maps for Google Earth Pro are designed to locate areas with high potential for finding placer gold. A core feature of these maps is the highlighting of townships that contain both active placer mining claims and historical gold mines. The screenshot below uses data from the Washington Gold Map and shows gold-bearing PLSS Continue Reading
The district locations and descriptions in this article are primarily based on the publication Mining Districts of Nevada by the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology. For districts with recorded gold placer mining activity, additional information has been included from the publication Placer Gold Deposits of Nevada – USGS Bulletin 1356. Images of district locations Continue Reading
Freighting in the West was one of the most essential jobs, yet it is rarely talked about today. This article examines the men, wagons, and animals that provided this important service to frontier mining towns. Continue Reading
Development of Arizona’s Vulture mine was impeded for many years before a pipeline that was 13-15 miles long was completed in 1880. This article takes a look at the history of the pipeline, and its effect on mining in the area. Continue Reading
WMH Gold Maps for Google Earth Pro are designed to locate areas with high potential for finding placer gold. A core feature of these maps is the highlighting of townships that contain both active placer mining claims and historical gold mines. The screenshot below uses data from the Oregon Gold Map and shows gold-bearing PLSS Continue Reading
The WMH Nevada Mining Atlas is designed for use with Google Earth Pro. Included are over 450 metallic mining district location polygons (compiled by the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology), divided into views by mined commodity. The package also includes mine locations from the USGS MRDS database, divided into views by primary commodity value. Continue Reading
