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
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
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
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 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
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
