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
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
There are no refunds on digital products. Please take some time to understand what you are buying. These packages are intended for use in Google Earth Pro or GIS applications, they are not mobile apps. The files are standard KML and if you know what you are doing, then you can export or format the Continue Reading
Researching Mining Claims with the BLM MLRS
Western Mining History distributes location data on active mining claims based on data retrieved from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) MLRS application. The purpose of this guide is to aid in the understanding of what the BLM claims data is useful for, and how to use the data to assist in your research. Note: Continue Reading
Vulture Mine – History, Fact, and Fiction
The Vulture Mine, near Wickenburg, Arizona could be the central character in a dime novel. Its myths, legends, and facts have and continue to stir the imagination. Stories of ghosts, men, and animals lost in the "Glory Hole", Indian attacks, bullion robberies, gold fortunes, lost veins, and personalities as grand and sweeping as the desert winds are part of Arizona history Continue Reading
