Featured Mining Town: Candelaria, Nevada
Candelaria, Nevada was the site of rich silver mines, but water was so difficult to obtain here that in the earliest days a bath cost two dollars, and liquor sellers found it unprofitable to "water their stock." Continue Reading
Featured Mining Town: Volcano, California
Established in 1849 in an area rich with placer gold, the business section of Volcano included seventeen hotels, eleven shops, three bakeries, a couple of saloons, a theater, and even a community library. Tens of millions of dollars in gold were eventually mined here. Continue Reading
Native Gold From the Jamestown Mine
From The Mineralogical Record, volume 25, January-February, 1994: "On December 26, 1992, owners of the Jamestown mine in Tuolumne County, California, received an unexpected Christmas present. Excavation in the company's Crystalline pit revealed a 'pocket' of crystalline leaf gold. Approximately 1,568 ounces of specimen gold were collected in all. The largest piece, weighing in at 25.79 kg (69 troy pounds), ranks as one of the largest specimens of gold ever found in California, or the nation." Continue Reading
Gold Nuggets at Auction: Stunning Specimens 10k and Above
Historically, very few large nuggets were saved for their value as collectibles. In modern times, large gold nuggets are exceedingly rare and are highly valued. The following examples are gold nuggets that have been sold at Heritage Auctions and have sales prices over $10,000. Continue Reading
Featured Mining Town: Bodie, California
Bodie, California is famous as being the site of the largest and best preserved ghost town in the West. This popular tourist destination was not always a thriving mining camp. Settled in 1861, it took over 15 years for the town to become prosperous after valuable new ore discoveries in 1877 Continue Reading
The Leadville Ice Palace
In the 1890s, Leadville, Colorado was experiencing an economic depression. To boost the local economy, and the mood of the citizenry, in 1895 a plan was conceived to have a winter carnival, with the main attraction being a grand palace constructed almost entirely of ice. Continue Reading
Featured Mining Town: Belmont, Nevada
Belmont was established after silver discoveries in 1865 in what was known as the Silver Bend or Philadelphia district. News of high-grade surface ores with values up to $3,000 a ton started a rush to Belmont in 1866, drawing many miners away from Austin and other early Nevada mining camps. Continue Reading
Featured Mining Town: Tombstone, Arizona
Tombstone, Arizona is best known for the Earp brothers, Doc Holliday, and the gunfight at the OK Corral. While most people probably know that Tombstone was a mining town, the fact that it was one of the West's largest silver bonanza's has been overshadowed by the famous events surrounding the legendary gun battle. Continue Reading
Featured Mining Town: Trinidad, Colorado
Trinidad was one of the West's most significant mining cities. This was the center of Colorado's most important coal mining region, and the riches that flowed out of the mines built a substantial business district, most of which remains today. Continue Reading
Featured Mining Town: Granite, Colorado
Granite, Colorado was a busy stage stop and then a town starting in the mid 1860s. Although overshadowed by the boom at Leadville, Granite nevertheless became an important transportation hub and mining community for many decades. Continue Reading
