Welcome to Western Mining History

Where to Find Gold in Idaho

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 Idaho Gold Map and shows gold-bearing PLSS  Continue Reading

A Collection of Arizona Mining Photos

Arizona of the 1800’s was a state defined by harsh desert topography, extreme remoteness, fierce native tribes determined to defend their homes from outsiders, and a certain degree of frontier lawlessness. These factors contributed to Arizona getting a later start in the Western mining booms than some of the other states. Arizona remained a territory  Continue Reading

Featured Mining Town: Columbia, California

Featured Mining Town: Columbia, California

Columbia was one of California's richest placer gold districts. Much of the substantial town center that was built in the late 1850s is preserved today as part of Columbia State Historic Park.  Continue Reading

Stagecoach Photos From Mining-Era Colorado

The stagecoach has become an iconic symbol of the American West. In remote parts of the western frontier, the stagecoach was the only form of public transportation for years or decades before being replaced with trains or later roads and automobiles.   Continue Reading

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

Water-powered arrastra at Dixie, Idaho

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

Featured Mining Town: Rico, Colorado

Featured Mining Town: Rico, Colorado

The development of Rico, Colorado was hampered in the 1870s and 1880s due to its remote location and poor transportation infrastructure. By the 1890s a railroad solved the transportation problem and Rico became a thriving mining town. Today the railroad and the mines are no longer operating, and Rico once again finds itself an isolated and sleepy small town.   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