Winning the Metal: Ore Mills of the West
The ore that came out of western mines usually had to be milled to separate the valuable metals from the waste rock. Mills of many types were built to treat the variety of ores coming out of the mines. "Winning the Metal: Ore Mills of the West" takes a look at some of the more common mill processes and includes numerous photos of the West's great mills. Continue Reading
Arrastras Illustrated in These Historical Photos
The remains of mining-era arrastras are fairly common in the West, but what exactly are they? The short answer is that the arrastra was the most primitive method used to crush ore into a fine enough powder that the precious metals could be separated from the host rock. While many people are familiar with the Continue Reading
Where to Find Gold in Washington
WMH Gold Maps for Google Earth Pro are designed to locate areas with high potential for finding placer gold. A core feature of these maps is the highlighting of townships that contain both active placer mining claims and historical gold mines. The screenshot below uses data from the Washington Gold Map and shows gold-bearing PLSS Continue Reading
Gold Districts of Nevada
The district locations and descriptions in this article are primarily based on the publication Mining Districts of Nevada by the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology. For districts with recorded gold placer mining activity, additional information has been included from the publication Placer Gold Deposits of Nevada – USGS Bulletin 1356. Images of district locations Continue Reading
Heavy Freight Wagons of the American West
Freighting in the West was one of the most essential jobs, yet it is rarely talked about today. This article examines the men, wagons, and animals that provided this important service to frontier mining towns. Continue Reading
Featured Mining Town: Aurora, Nevada
Aurora, Nevada is one of the West's most historically significant mining towns. Aurora is where a young Samuel Clemens tried his hand at mining. Clemens failed as a miner, but the letters he wrote in his dirt-floored cabin got him a job at a Virginia City newspaper, where he wrote under the name Mark Twain. Twain would go on to be one of the world's most famous figures. Continue Reading
1880 Vulture Mine Pipeline
Development of Arizona's Vulture mine was impeded for many years before a pipeline that was 13-15 miles long was completed in 1880. This article takes a look at the history of the pipeline, and its effect on mining in the area. Continue Reading
Where to Find Gold in Oregon
WMH Gold Maps for Google Earth Pro are designed to locate areas with high potential for finding placer gold. A core feature of these maps is the highlighting of townships that contain both active placer mining claims and historical gold mines. The screenshot below uses data from the Oregon Gold Map and shows gold-bearing PLSS Continue Reading
Featured Mining Town: Crested Butte, Colorado
Crested Butte, Colorado was an active coal mining town for over seven decades. Thew last mine closed in the 1950s, but the town has since transitioned into a popular tourist destination. Continue Reading
Introducing the Nevada Mining Atlas
The WMH Nevada Mining Atlas is designed for use with Google Earth Pro. Included are over 450 metallic mining district location polygons (compiled by the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology), divided into views by mined commodity. The package also includes mine locations from the USGS MRDS database, divided into views by primary commodity value. Continue Reading
