Hydraulic mining became the primary way to recover large amounts of gold by the late-1800s. While normal placer mining techniques like panning and sluicing worked well in the rivers, there were many areas with ancient river gravels that were high above the current water flow. These could only be mined profitably with hydraulic mining. Water […]
mining history
Closure of Gold Mines after WWII – Affect the Mining Industry Forever
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 […]
The Gold Rush to the West Attracted Thousands of Chinese Miners
Although estimates are vague at best, it is believed that as many as 24,000 younger Chinese men were among tens of thousands of immigrants, who moved to California between 1849 and 1853 after the California gold rush which began on January 24, 1948. The California gold rush commenced after gold became discovered by means of […]
The Wild History of Virginia City, Montana
Bucket Line Dredges: Literally Tons of Gold Unearthed!
Hydraulic Gold Mining and the History of the West
Men have been extracting metals from the Earth for millennia, using just about any method imaginable to get to the valuable ores that they seek. Early methods were crude and inefficient, but with enough brute force massive amounts of gold and precious metals were uncovered. The ancient Romans introduced the notion of large-scale mining with […]
Gold Discoveries in Victoria – The Golden Triangle
Except for the richer and more extensive gold-bearing fields of California, the gold production in the State of Victoria was once greater than in any other country in the world. The state’s greatest yield within a single year occurred in 1856; where a documented recovery of 3,053,744 troy ounces of gold was achieved. According to […]
Oregon’s Biggest Gold Nuggets
Oregon may be one of the most overlooked states in the western United States when it comes to gold prospecting and its potential for producing large gold nuggets. Many impressive specimens have come out of the state over the years. Some of the biggest nuggets that were found during the early gold rush here would […]