The Top Ten Gold Producing States
From 1799 through 1965, the United States produced over 300,000,000 ounces of gold, which at the current price of around $1,500 per ounce (as of August 2019) would be valued at over $450 billion dollars. These are the ten states that contributed the most gold to US production during the golden era of mining in the American West. Continue Reading
Featured Mining Town: Central City, Colorado
Central City was Colorado's most important mining center for almost two decades following gold discoveries in 1859. The city's fame would be overshadowed by Leadville in 1880, but Central City would endure for decades as one of the West's oldest and most resilient mining towns. Continue Reading
Featured Mining Town: Irwin, Colorado
Irwin, Colorado grew into a spectacular city of 5,000 residents in just six months after rich silver discoveries. The great production from the mines could only be maintained for a couple years, and by 1883 Irwin was already in steep decline. Continue Reading
What is a Ghost Town? WMH Town Classifications Explained
While there is not one official definition of what a ghost town is, there has been much discussion on the subject. Wikipedia’s basic definition is as follows: A ghost town is an abandoned village, town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due Continue Reading
The King Solomon Mine
The King Solomon mine, a monolithic structure from a bygone era, stands alone atop the Rand Mountain range, a silent witness to the joys, sorrows and deaths of those who sought the riches from beneath the earth. Cindy Nunn's new book Abandoned California: King Solomon Mine is a history of the mine from its beginnings until shut-down. Continue Reading
Rich Gold Deposits of Plumas County
The following article describing the early history of Plumas County gold districts and a resurgence of mining in the mid-1890s appeared in the San Francisco Call on July 18, 1895. The map image was published with the article, all other images were added from separate archives. Plumas is county of rugged mountains, holding in their Continue Reading
Featured Mining Town: Cripple Creek, Colorado
Cripple Creek, Colorado was settled after gold discoveries in 1891. It would soon be one of the West's greatest mining cities, and the Cripple Creek district would produce enough gold to become the second most valuable gold district in the U.S. Continue Reading
Featured Mining Town: Placerville, California
Placerville, California was one of the earliest and most prosperous mining towns established during the Gold Rush. Even after the gold ran out, Placerville continued to flourish as a supply center and transportation hub for mines and camps throughout the region. Continue Reading
Featured Mining Town: Deadwood, South Dakota
Deadwood is one of the West's most historically significant mining cities, and the location of some of the Wild West's most notable events. Deadwood has seen extensive preservation of its historical buildings, and is a popular tourist center. Continue Reading
Featured Mining Town: Smuggler, Colorado
The company town of Smuggler, Colorado was part of the Smuggler-Union mine, one of the Telluride district's top three mines. Smuggler was the site of more fatal accidents and violence than any mine in the district. Continue Reading
