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Snowslide (Battle Mountain Colorado)
(1899 Newspaper)
Article details how numerous avalanches disrupted the communities of the Battle Mountain area of Eagle County Colorado, adding a bit of humor at one point: "Malcolm McLeod was handled the worst by the avalanche. Those who witnessed its frightful descent say McLeod was carried badly off his feet and his body made several revolutions in mid-air before he landed on the running mass of snow. He was carried about sixty feet down the hill, and when he finally stopped was completely submerged. He lost his hat - it will be found when the daisies bloom in the spring. Both Gladwin and Fisher were roughly handled, but neither even lost his hat."
Coasting in Colorado
(1884 New York Times)
This article describes a tragic accident in Central City, Colorado in the early 1860s. "Once started in them at Nevada, a sled, unchecked, would fly to Black Hawk without giving one time to say "goodday” to any acquaintance he might pass in Central. It was like being shot out of a catapult or dropped down an elevator-shaft."
Visit to Owyhee
(1865 Beyond the Mississippi)
This selection from Beyond the Mississippi describes the author's visit to the Owyhee mines of Idaho in November of 1865.
The Wants of California
(1851 Newspaper)
“A French nobleman and his wife, who lost their fortune in the revolution of 1848, hurried to this El Dorado. He is a man of elevated mind, and fine talent. His present resource is to drive a water cart."
The Owyhee War
(1868)
Thought to be the only complete and accurate account ever written on the Owyhee War, this important source document details the incredible events of the conflict: "On one level there was a heavy timber used as a support for the roof of the drift. It was probably fifteen inches in diameter and stood upright in the center of the drift. It was filled with bullets and had been so frequently struck and pierced that at one place about two or three feet from the floor It was cut nearly in two. It was said that this one piece of timber had been struck by two thousand bullets."
A Peep At Washoe - Second Paper
(1861 Harper's New Monthly Magazine)
In Paper Two of "A Peep At Washoe", the author describes the chaos and hardship endured by residents of Virginia City in 1860.
Map of the Overland Route to the Boise and Owyhee Mines
(1863 Newspaper)
This 1863 map and accompanying article describe the overland routes to the Boise Basin and Owyhee mining regions of Idaho.
A Mammoth Meteor Falls Near Candelaria, Nevada
(1894 Newspaper)
1894 article describes a significant meteor impact near the mining towns of Candelaria and Belleville in Nevada.
The Ward Mining District
This promotional pamphlet was handed out to passengers of the Union Pacific, Denver & Gulf Railway in the 1890s to promote the Ward, Colorado mining district: "should any investors have their attention drawn to this area by the claims of special properties, they can be assured, whatever may be the result of their particular investigation, that they are entering an area full of promise and of prospective returns"
A Peep At Washoe - First Paper
(1860 Harper's New Monthly Magazine)
In Paper One of "A Peep At Washoe", the author describes the mood in California as yet another great mining excitement sweeps the state. The article is comical in tone, yet contains many interesting details related to the rush to the newly discovered Comstock mines.
From Express Rider to the Superior Bench
(1907 Newspaper)
Article from the February 17, 1907 edition of the Sacramento Union details some of the dramatic events one Canyon City, Oregon pioneer lived through while traveling the region in the 1860s.
The Deserts of Nevada and the Death Valley
(1907 Scientific American)
A USGS mapping team visits the desert region of southwest Nevada and Death Valley, includes interesting details on some of the mining camps in the area.
He Wanted A Grand Funeral
(1881 Newspaper)
"The sun was shrinking behind the snowy peaks of the Rockies, gilding their glittering tops with rosy light, as poor Dave York was borne by the boys to his cabin. He had been terribly hurt by a blast in the mine."
A Mining Camp Without a Peer (Bingham, Utah)
(1915 Scientific American)
"A million cubic yards means nothing to the ordinary man, but if it was loaded onto a string of heavy ore cars you would count 40,000 before the string had passed, and they would, coupled, occupy 380 miles of track. The yearly load would fill a train extending for 19,000 miles, three fourths of the journey round the equator."
The Career of a Mining Engineer
(1914 Scientific American)
"In this profession the conditions in the various mining districts of the world are different and probably more varied than are met with by the men in any other engineering profession."
The Montana & Denver Reduction Company's Mill at Bearmouth, Montana
(1900 Engineering and Mining Journal)
"Mr. A. B. Browne, who was general manager for the Mammoth Company at the time of its shutdown, realized the conditions of these two districts and saw the needs and advantages of a custom mill to treat the ores of this region. A mill located at the foot of the hills on which the mines are located would draw ores from a circle of 10 to 15 miles radius."
Underground Scenic Trip in the World's Greatest Gold Camp
(1905)
This 1905 brochure from the Cripple Creek Excursion Company promises "The only trip of its kind in the world - A visit to Cripple Creek is not complete without it." Article includes images of all eight pages of the brochure.
Story of the Drumlummon Mine
(1903 Newspaper)
"For many years nearly every resident of the great northwest, together with those of the money centers of the commercial world, have been familiar with the name of the once colossal and fabulously rich gold-bearing quartz mine known as the Drumlummon. It was a remarkable property, and was fashioned by nature upon a heroic scale; heroic in its extent, heroic in its volume of ore, heroic in the wealth of its output, and heroic in its far-reaching effects upon the quartz mining industry of Montana and of contiguous states."
A Mine Worth Millions in Gold, Silver, and Copper (Freeland, Colorado)
(1886 Newspaper)
"Together with Mr. George G. Vivian, assistant superintendent, and Mr. Jack Proutt, foreman of the entire Freeland mine, we shall this week take our readers through the various underground workings, the hoisting works and the concentrator."
Doc Holliday Shoots William Allen at Leadville
(1884 Newspaper)
"William Allen, an ex-policeman and one of the best known of the old timers, was seriously wounded in a sensational scrimmage by "Doc" Holliday, a man who enjoys the reputation of being one of the most desperate and determined in the west"
