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 Big Bug Mining District is a historic mining area situated in the Bradshaw Mountains of Central Arizona. The region gained attention for its rich gold deposits, but copper, silver and lead were also mined in the region. The town of Big Bug was established when gold placers were discovered at Big Bug Creek around […]
The Jack Wade Creek Mining Area covers a narrow strip of placer deposits along Jack Wade Creek. It is located 20 miles east of historic mining town Chicken, within the Fortymile Mining District in Southeast Fairbanks, Alaska. Primary access on the US side is via the Taylor Highway out of Chicken. Overview: Jack Wade […]
The Bunker Hill Mine is renowned for its impressive base metal and silver reserves. It is situated in Kellogg, Idaho, within the Coeur d’Alene Mining District of Shoshone County. The primary entry point is the 10,000-foot-long Kellogg Tunnel, which is located 2,400 feet above sea level. The tunnel provides access to the deposits located beneath […]
Washington was one of the states to get attention from the early gold miners. While gold has been known to occur here since the earliest days of the gold rush to the West, much richer deposits were exploited first. Eventually, the miners and prospectors would arrive in Washington to discover that there was fairly abundant […]
Gold is one of the safest, yet most prosperous investments that can withstand the test of time. History has shown us its power to transform barren and desolate areas to bustling centers of commercial activity. One such area that serves as a modern-day example is the state of Colorado. Its massive development in the 19th […]
The Palmer River gold rush was centered along a river of the same name in the north of Queensland, Australia and produced more than 1.25 million ounces of gold. Over its three-year lifespan, the gold rush led to the growth of several towns including Cooktown, Port Douglas and Cairns, attracted more than 20,000 Chinese miners […]
Well known to be the Happiest Country in the World, Finland is also one of the cleanest, boasting beautiful natural landscapes and piercingly fresh air. No wonder Santa Claus chose the country to be his home base! However, not many people know that Finland is equally rich in minerals, with a golden history of its […]
Back in the 1860s, the young colony of Queensland was suffering economic depression due to drought. An experienced prospector James Nash found gold in a small town Gympie, which resulted in a gold rush. Later the gold from Gympie singlehandedly turned the crisis around and saved the state from bankruptcy. In this article, we will […]
The quintessential story of hidden gold riches is told in one Australian town tucked in the western part of the country. Narrated by prospectors from as far away as the United Kingdom, South Africa, Afghanistan, the United States, China and New Zealand, the Coolgardie Gold Rush is one of the richest gold rushes in the […]
Marysville is located northwest of Helena, Montana’s capital. After gold was discovered in the silver creek valley, Marysville; a gold rush town was established at the slope of Mount Belmont. Marysville enjoyed being the principal mining center of Montana in the late 1800s. In its heyday, the city had about 4000 inhabitants, and more than […]
Most of Oregon’s gold has been found in Eastern and Southwestern parts of the state. One of the best areas for gold prospecting in Northwest Oregon is at Quartzville Creek. This tributary to the Santiam River is a well-known area for gold panning. It is a popular site for prospectors from the Portland/Salem/Eugene area. Gold […]
About 10 miles north of Okanogan, Washington, is the site of one of this states most exciting boomtowns. While little is left now, the site of Ruby City sits along Salmon Creek. This was one of Western Washington’s most exciting mining camps back in the late 1800s. There had already been several gold and silver […]
Imagine you and your mining crew set out on a journey prospecting for minerals only to strike immense deposits of gold on Independence Day. Well, that is precisely what happened in the eastern corner of Pitkin County, right below the continental divide in 1879 when a group of miners found gold in that region on […]
The Selkirk is an expansive mountain range that cuts across the border of the United States and Canada. The scenic mountain range starts off from the northern part of the Idaho Panhandle and stretches across the eastern parts of Washington State before reaching across the border of British Columbia. The Selkirk Mountains have long been […]
The arrival of bucket-line dredging brought a spike in gold production throughout the Oregon goldfields. The first use of these massive machines often began in the late 1800s, but they were used well into the 20th century. The large volume of gravel that they were able to process allowed them to work ground that was […]
