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This iconic scene from Deadwood, South Dakota has been restored and colorized by Western Mining History. Depicted is a gold rush scene at the newly settled town of Deadwood, in what was Dakota Territory in 1877.

This iconic western mining scene has been colorized by Western Mining History. This detailed view of Deadwood, Dakota Territory shows the many businesses on Main Street in 1877.

This iconic western mining scene has been colorized by Western Mining History. In this image, miners are taking a lunch break in the Chance mine in 1909. The Chance is a silver mine located in Shoshone County, Idaho, in a region known as the “Silver Valley”. The Silver Valley is the top silver producing region in the United States, and second in the world.

This iconic western mining scene has been colorized by Western Mining History. Depicted are miners at the top of the Curtis shaft of the Savage Mine in Virginia City, Nevada in 1868.

This colorized version of the iconic ca. 1890s photo shows an elaborate log-cribbed bridge built over a deep gulch on the Ouray Stage Line between the mining towns of Ouray and Silverton in southwest Colorado. This was originally known as the "Otto Mears Toll Road" after the man who built the road - which for years was thought to be impossible.

Colorized version of this interior view of the Cosmopolitan Saloon and Gambling Hall at Telluride, Colorado ca. 1910.

Depicted is Main Street at Deadwood, Dakota Territory in 1877. A banner for Adam Bros. Banner Grocery hangs across the road. The Delmonico Hotel and Restaurant can be seen on the left.

This iconic colorized mining scene depicts placer miners at Auburn Ravine, California circa 1852. In a rarely photographed scene, American and Chinese miners work side by side at a sluice.

This iconic western mining scene has been colorized by Western Mining History. Depicted is the "Cabin of S.J. Roberts" at Cripple Creek, Colorado in 1893. One miner poses with tools while the other two play musical instruments. Note the illustration of a small bird on the stump, which was apparently drawn on the photo by the photographer. The gold rush at Cripple Creek had just started a year before this photo was taken, and was one of the West's most significant historical events.

This iconic western mining scene has colorized by Western Mining History. Depicted in this photo are men, likely the mine owners, at the Buena Vista mine at Altman, Colorado circa 1893. Altman was one of the many towns founded in the early 1890s after rich gold discoveries in the Cripple Creek district.

This iconic 1890 western mining scene has been colorized by Western Mining History. Depicted is the Virginius Mine in southwest Colorado.

This iconic mining scene has been colorized by Western Mining History. Various sources claim that this photo was taken in California, Colorado, and even in Arizona Territory, with years ranging from 1850 to 1900. Although the exact origin of the photo is unknown, it remains one of the most famous images of a western prospector.

This iconic western mining scene has been colorized and enhanced by Western Mining History. 1868 was the year of the “Owyhee War”, when armed gangs fought bloody battles, some underground, for control of one of the district’s richest mines.

This iconic western mining scene has been colorized by Western Mining History. The 1889 photo is captioned “‘We have it rich’ – washing and panning gold, Rockerville Dakota. Old timers Spriggs, Lamb, and Dillon at work.”

This ca. 1900 image historic image has been colorized by Western Mining History. Depicted is a freight wagon in position to be loaded with ore from an ore bin at the Mount Diablo mine at Candelaria, Nevada.

This ca. 1890 photo has been colorized by Western Mining History. Depicted are a crew of Colorado miners and their dog posing in front of a cabin, taken by renowned photographer William Henry Jackson.

This iconic western mining scene has been colorized by Western Mining History. The 1889 photo is captioned “‘A golden work’ – Hydraulic mining at Rockerville Dakota”. Hydraulic mining required elaborate systems of flumes and pipes to bring water to a mining site – sometimes from tens of miles away.

This iconic western mining scene has been colorized by Western Mining History. Depicted is a traction engine (steam tractor) hauling borax in Southern California ca. 1900. Traction engines began replacing the iconic "Twenty Mule Teams" starting in the mid 1890s. The traction engines were often not as reliable as the mule teams in the punishing Death Valley climate, and they never completely replaced them.

This colorized 1910 photo from inside the Bagdad Mine at Ludlow, California is a remarkable view of miners working within a framework of square-set timbering. Note the lone miner standing with a candle on the left side of the photo, and the lower level visible through the timbering.

This late 1800s photo of miners standing in front of an unidentified Nevada mine has been colorized by Western Mining History.

This iconic western mining scene has been colorized by Western Mining History. Depicted is the mill of the Young America mine ca. 1885. The mill was located in a spectacular setting on the shore of Lower Sardine Lake, in Sierra County, California.

This iconic mining scene has been colorized by Western Mining History. Depicted is the crew of the Blue Bucket hydraulic mine, located in Siskiyou County, California, ca. 1890s. At the back of the image, a flume is visible for carrying water to the hydraulic monitors.

This iconic western mining scene has been colorized by Western Mining History. Depicted are teams of oxen pulling freight wagons at Rico, Colorado in 1890. Development of the mines at Rico was long-hampered by its remoteness and lack of transportation infrastructure. In 1891, just one year after this photo was taken, the railroad finally arrived at Rico, and the district experienced a new level of prosperity.

This iconic western mining scene has been colorized by Western Mining History. Depicted in this view is the stamp mill of the Moon-Anchor Mining Company, overlooking Cripple Creek ca. 1898.

This iconic western mining scene has been colorized by Western Mining History. Depicted is the Gold King Mine near Cripple Creek. Colorado in 1892. Of the two men standing behind the wheelbarrow, the man on the right is believed to be Bob Womack, the man credited with the initial discovery of gold in the district.