America’s National Parks are some of the most incredible places on Earth. Because of their natural beauty, many activities that were once commonplace are now prohibited within these parks. Before these 8 National Parks were designated, miners were exploring them for gold. They still contain rich gold deposits even today, but now they are completely […]
early mining history
Mark Twain Spent Time as a Miner in the Old West
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 […]
Using Ball Mills to Extract Raw Gold from Ores
Placer mining and lode mining are very different. Whereas placer gold has been released from within the rock and is generally free from any significant matrix, lode gold presents different challenges. While gold may be present in ore, it must somehow be released for proper extraction. As a result, a number of machines have been […]
How the Early Miner’s Found Gold with a Tool that is Rarely Used Today
Throughout the history of gold exploration, which really includes most of recorded history, many different techniques were created for separating placer gold from the surrounding gravel. One of the most famous old school methods, the rocker box, can still be used today, although it has mostly fallen out of favor… Like so many other famous […]