As boom towns went, Bodie, California was a pretty slow starter. Gold was discovered north of Mono Lake in 1859, initially by four men who were subsequently joined by other prospectors. They only mined for a very short time until one of the miners, a W.S. Body, was killed in a surprise November blizzard. Although […]
Gold is where you find it. I have found gold way down in the desert and I have found gold high in the mountains. There are plenty of gold districts that are well above 10,000 feet in elevation. Of course in many ways gold is the same wherever you find it. However, different environments require […]
Life sometimes can be very surprising looking at how it creates opportunities that change people’s lives when they are lucky enough to see and run with one. The California Gold Rush brought fortunes to many men, but more often than not the men who came to strike their fortunes returned home with little to show […]
There are literally tens of thousands of small mines and prospects scattered around the country. Not big mines; these are small diggings – often done by one miner – that are have been abandoned for a decade. It is a common belief among some people that you need to search around a big mine to […]
As with any lost treasure tale, there are widely varied accounts. One must take into account that it is often the purpose of the writer to stretch the truth in order to excite the reader. There are considerable disagreements about the fate of the Rhoades Mine. We are going to take a look at some […]
California is one of the richest states in terms of mineral diversity. No surprise that it holds a great reputation where it concerns gold mining related activities, but not only that; it is also home to a number of gemstones mines. Most of these mines are located in the southern region of California. Let’s examine […]
Sometimes in life, it is important to learn and accept early enough that not everything can be done by everyone. One man who learned this quickly was Mark Twain, the famous author – and much less famous – gold miner! Mark Twain was one of the thousands of men who converged on California and Nevada […]
If you are a placer gold miner, then you will eventually figure out that you need to learn how to capture micro gold. I’m talking about the small stuff – the dust – the specks – those teeny-tiny little particles of gold that you can barely even see. Many prospectors take pride in their setups […]
The recovery of fine gold has always been a huge challenge for prospectors. The smaller a piece of gold is the harder it is to recover. Plus, how small does gold have to be before you realize that it just isn’t worth the effort to recover. As a result, many gold prospectors have avoided the […]
The Toiyabe Mountains of Central Nevada have been home to several mining towns over the years. Most of these towns were gone almost as quickly as the arrived. Others lasted for a while. It all depended on the richness of the minerals. Berlin The largest of these mineral strikes was at the town […]
It is always amazing to learn about how stories of mineral discoveries could spread during the old days, leading to the shifting of people from different locations to form new towns altogether. Silver Reef is located in Southern Utah and is now a long forgotten ghost town. It is about 25 miles northeast of St. […]
It is always fascinating to learn about how mining activities have evolved in various parts of the world. So is the case of San Juan Mountains area, a place known for gold and silver mining since the earliest settlers arrived in the region. The San Juan Mountains are located in the southwestern region of Colorado. […]
Gold mining is a major industry in Nevada. Unlike most other states in the U.S., there are still many active large gold mines. In fact, Nevada is one of the major and reliable sources of gold globally. Most of the mines in the state produce gold through open pit mining by using heap leaching method […]
From the start of the Gold Rush all the way through the mid-1900s, much of the countries economy was sustained through mining activities. Of course one of the many important minerals mined was gold. But not all days were rosy for the gold mining industries. There were many situations that challenged the profitability and even […]
Usually gold prospectors are trying to find that secret spot, the small creek hidden miles deep in the woods that is loaded with gold. What if the there was a rich area to prospect that was right under your feet? That is what you’ve got with culvert pipes. Why Look for Gold in Culverts? […]
