For those who understand the history of mining know quite well the challenges the early miners had to deal with. The success or failure of a mining camp wasn’t just based on the richness of the ore. This was certainly the case with many of the early Idaho mining towns. Deep in the mountains of […]
Ghost Towns
There are hundreds of old mining towns that are now just ghost towns, long ago abandoned after the richest minerals were extracted. These historic places can be fascinating to explore today.
The Olinghouse District in Washoe County, NV | Gold Mining Areas
One of the more interesting gold deposits in Nevada is found about 35 miles east of Reno in Washoe County. There are a few things about the Olinghouse district that make it unusual. First, it is the only significant mining district in Washoe County. And second, the mines here produce some very interesting crystalline gold. […]
The California Gold Rush & The Rise of San Francisco
Still Finding Gold in the Redding Area | Northern CA |
The gold discoveries around Redding were easily overshadowed by other gold strikes in California, but that doesn’t mean they are any less significant. Yes indeed, there is still plenty of gold waiting to be found by hard working prospectors in the hills around Redding, California. There is a lot of open ground available for gold […]
The Klondike Gold Rush Transformed the City of Seattle
Metal Detecting in Missouri – On the Hunt for Buried Treasure
When it comes to selecting where to go metal detecting and having the most success, you first want to determine what type of treasures that you want to focus on. Are you primarily interesting in finding modern clad coins? Historic relics and coins? Or perhaps you are on the hunt for lost treasures cached by […]
Amador City and the Keystone Gold Mine
Between 1848 and 1967, 106 million troy ounces were recovered by hydraulic, placer or hard rock mining in California. Especially rich deposits of placer gold were located in what became known as the Mother Lode, a gold bearing area that stretched through the Sierra Nevada from Mormon Bar north to Georgetown. The Keystone mine was […]
Exploring the Old Mining Towns of Custer & Bonanza in Idaho
Central Idaho has lots of small, abandoned ghost town hidden deep in its wilderness. At one time there were thousands of men here scouring the hills in search of primarily gold and silver. Access was difficult, and any discovery needed to be exceptionally rich to justify being so far away from civilization. When gold was […]
The Fascinating History of Bodie, California
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 […]
Levi Strauss Makes a Fortune in the California Goldfields
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 […]
Mining Towns in the Nevada’s Toiyabe Mountain Range
The Fascinating History of Mining in Silver Reef, Utah
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. […]
Gold Mines of Colorado’s San Juan Mountains
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. […]
The Rich Silver Mines of Aspen, Colorado
The Rocky Mountains that run through the center of Colorado hold immense mineral wealth. Most of the largest gold and silver strikes here were made well after other gold rushes in the West, but don’t be mistaken… they rivaled just about any other discovery made. Aspen is one town that was formed due to the […]