Where to Find Gold in California
With over 22,000 historical mine locations in the USGS MRDS database of mines, California has more gold mines that the next top four gold states combined. California was also the largest gold producing state up to 1965 with over 100 million ounces produced. In recent decades other states have overtaken California in total gold production, Continue Reading
Where to Find Gold in Arizona
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 Arizona Gold Map and shows gold-bearing PLSS Continue Reading
Featured Mining Town: Weaverville, California
Weaverville was the primary settlement in Trinity Alps region of Northern California. Settled in 1850, Weaverville was a significant placer mining town with thousands of residents, including over 1,000 Chinese. Today the town is home to numerous 1850s era historic buildings and California's oldest Chinese house of worship. Continue Reading
Featured Mining Town: Bannack, Montana
Bannack, Montana was the site of the first gold rush in the Montana Territory. The town had up to 5,000 residents by the summer of 1863 and briefly served as the territorial capitol in 1864. Today the ghost town of Bannack has been preserved as a state park. Continue Reading
Featured Mining Town: Eureka, Nevada
Eureka was both Nevada's second largest city starting in the 1870s, and the state's second most valuable mining center after the Comstock Lode. Sometimes called the "Pittsburgh of the West", Eureka was the West's largest and most important smelting center. Sixteen smelters operated just outside town, treating ore from over 50 active mines. Continue Reading
Featured Mining Town: Goldfield, Nevada
Goldfield, Nevada experienced one of the most dramatic rises and subsequent crashes of all the mining towns of the Old West. Once the largest city in Nevada, today Goldfield only has a few hundred residents. Continue Reading
Featured Mining Town: Creede, Colorado
Creede, Colorado is one of the West's most notable silver camps. Famous for both it's stunning location and notorious outlaws, Creede remains a popular tourist destination today. Continue Reading
Miners Cabins: Bottles, Barrels, and Dugouts
While the miners and prospectors that opened the vast American West are known for the log cabins they often used for shelter, some of the more eccentric dwellings they built are lesser known but equally interesting. "Miners Cabins: Bottles, Barrels, and Dugouts" takes a look at some of the more eccentric dwellings used by early miners. Continue Reading
An Engineering Marvel: Colorado’s Hanging Flume
The hanging flume is is a five mile section of wooden flume that was built on the sheer cliffs of the San Miguel and Dolores Rivers in the canyon country of western Colorado. Built over a three-year period from 1888 to 1891, the flume was 150 feet or more above the canyon floor and was Continue Reading
The Impossible Road: Photos of the Otto Mears Toll Road
Established in 1876, Ouray, Colorado was positioned at the north end of the rugged San Juan mountains, in a box canyon that served as the gateway to many rich mining districts. The town would have been the ideal commerce and transportation center for a large part of the region of not for one problematic detail. Continue Reading
