The Gold Prince Mine and Mill
The Gold Prince mill at Animas Forks, Colorado was built at the enormous cost of $500,000 in the first decade of the 1900s, but was mostly a failure. This series of photos takes a look at the Gold Prince mine and mill. 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
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. 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
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. Continue Reading
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. Continue Reading
The Black Hills Gold Rush was one of the most significant historical events in the western United States. This collection of over 50 images captures the early history of this famous gold region. Continue Reading
This collection contains some of the best colorized photos of historic western mining scenes. Included are mines, miners, historic mining towns, and related scenes. Continue Reading
Gold is Oregon’s primary mined commodity, and the gold mining industry thrived in the state for many decades. This is a collection of noteworthy mining photos from the state. Continue Reading
Nevada is the location of “The Great Basin”, a desert region characterized by numerous wide valleys bordered by parallel mountain ranges. The climate is generally very dry, and the high altitude brings a range of temperature and weather extremes. This inhospitable region doesn’t support a lot of life, but it is one of the nation’s Continue Reading
