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The Miners Lamentations
(ca. 1855)
Poem published circa 1855 in San Francisco laments the lack of available wives in the California gold fields: "we, a select committee, consisting of six bachelor miners.” having consulted together, do, one and all, firmly and solemnly believe that our class and condition can be bettered."
Lead (Black Hills Illustrated)
This article from the 1904 publication Black Hills Illustrated describes the institutions that made Lead one of the nation's premier mining cities in the first decade of the 1900s.
Deadwood (Black Hills Illustrated)
(1904)
This article from the 1904 publication Black Hills Illustrated describes the institutions that made Deadwood one of the nation's premier mining cities in the first decade of the 1900s.
How We Get Gold In California
(1860 Harper's New Monthly Magazine)
...this substance yielded like clay to a few blows of the pick; and as the slices were turned carefully up, they resembled chunks of plumb-cake, the clay being stuffed in every part with the golden lumps. Upon breaking these pieces in the hand like bread, the interior was still found plugged with pellets of gold, and the whole mass was heavy with it.
Robbing a Mine
(1880 Newspaper)
This report details an ore theft ring at Leadville that involved a gang of thieves, a local Teamster, and a crooked assayer.
The City of Gayville Reduced to Ashes
(1877 Newspaper)
This description of the 1877 fire that destroyed Gayville, South Dakota includes some interesting details: "The ammunition stored in different buildings could be distinctly heard to explode from time to time, besides which were two distinct explosions, one caused by placing a keg of powder in the residence of A. Hierb at the western end of the town, the other report came from the eastern end, somewhere in the neighborhood of Meyer's store, and it is supposed was caused through a keg of powder being left in the building, which was forgotten in the excitement."
The Black Hills Flood of 1883
(1883 Newspaper)
This article details the extensive flood damage to Deadwood and surrounding communities during the devastating flood of May 1883. The article is long, but provides many interesting details about the citizens, businesses, and buildings present at this early date. Also notable are losses reported by famous characters Al Swearingen and Star & Bullock.
The Reese River Country
(1866 Harper's New Monthly Magazine)
This article gives a first-hand account of the rush to the Reese River (Austin) region of Nevada in the early 1860s: "...a sheep corral had to be paid for at the rate of fifty cents per night in advance; when no man could safely undertake to sleep under the lee of a quartz boulder, in consequence of that claim being guarded by a prior occupant armed with a six-shooter; when it was a luxury to sit all night by a stove, or stand against a post behind a six-feet tent."
Wild Bill - The Daring Deeds of the Murdered Scout
(1876 Newspaper)
"Wild Bill was generous to a fault, swore like a trooper at certain stages, and would rather indulge in poker than eat, on one occasion having played in his last earthly possession - a black and tan terrier."
From Salt Lake to Montana
(1865 Beyond the Mississippi)
This account from 1865 describes traveling by stagecoach from Salt Lake City to Helena, Montana. Included are early descriptions of Bannack, Virginia City, and Helena.
From Salt Lake City Westward
(1865 Beyond the Mississippi)
This account from 1865 describes traveling by stagecoach from Salt Lake City to Virginia City, Nevada. Included are a rare first-hand account of Egan Canyon, early observations of the young town of Austin, Nevada, and details of the mines of the Comstock Lode.
Womack, Discoverer of Cripple Creek
(1903 Cripple Creek Times)
"Laughed at as a visionary, regarded by some as being weak-minded because of his ceaseless search through the hills of the Cripple Creek region for the gold which he declared existed there, Bob Womack, the discoverer of Cripple Creek, never rested until his mission was accomplished and the great gold camp had been given to the world"
Stratton's Independence Mine (Cripple Creek)
(1903 Cripple Creek Times)
"The mine that has given the Cripple Creek district the greatest prominence throughout the civilized world and given the camp an international reputation is Stratton's Independence."
Winfield Scott Stratton
(1903 Cripple Creek Times)
Winfield Scott Stratton discovered the fabulous Independence mine in the Cripple Creek district in 1891. He sold the mine in 1899 for $11 million, making him a fabulously rich man. This article starts by describing his struggles with the notoriety that comes with great wealth, and his desire to help the poor. Later it details his early years in Colorado and the perseverance that ultimately led to his success.
Frederick Augustus Heinze
(1904 Engineering and Mining Journal)
This obituary of F. Augustus Heinze was published shortly after his death in November of 1914. It describes his career and his exploits as one of Butte, Montana's "Copper Kings".
Who is Heinze? (Butte, Montana)
(1900 Newspaper)
Description of Copper King F. Augustus Heinze's early successes smelting and copper mining, and his popularity in both Butte and the state of Montana.
New Gold Region Discovered (Reese River)
(1863 Newspaper)
This letter from a store owner in the newly established Reese River district of central Nevada describes early conditions in one of Nevada's most important mining regions.
A Description of Butte, Montana in 1895
(1895)
This text, from the 1895 publication “The Great Dynamite Explosions at Butte, Montana: January 15, 1895”, provides interesting details on how life was in the city during the 1890s.
The South Park Mines (Colorado)
(1878 Scientific American)
Article describes the early mining settlements of Alma and Fairplay, and the works of the Dolly Varden and Moose mines.
A Peep At Washoe - Third Paper
(1861 Harper's New Monthly Magazine)
In Paper Three of "A Peep At Washoe", the author recounts his harrowing journey back to San Francisco after visiting the Washoe mines.
