Owyhee County encompasses a vast desert known primarily for it rugged deep canyons and rich ranching heritage. There isn’t much gold in most of the county, and there has been limited mining activity for the most part. This changed when placer gold was discovered in Jordan Creek. The placers brought miners to explore this remote […]
Liberty is the one of the oldest mining towns in Washington State. Located north of Ellensburg within what is now the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, this is the site of one of the most fascinating gold rushes in the state. Gold has been found in various areas throughout Washington, but there has still never been a […]
Mineral extraction is one of the most significant drivers of Wyoming’s economy. In fact, the Equality State is among the United States’ top producers of natural gas, coal and crude oil. What most people don’t know is that Wyoming is also home to rich deposits of gold and silver, with its own gold rush originating […]
Southern California has its fair share of gold rushes. While it’s true that hey never reached the excitement levels of the discoveries of the Mother Lode, that doesn’t mean that they weren’t significant. Some surprisingly rich gold strikes were made in the desert of SoCal. One lesser-known discovery was made at Lytle Creek, in the […]
The history of New Zealand’s goes hand in hand with gold mining. Minor gold deposits have been known since at least the 1840s. In the year 1842 New Zealand experienced a few new gold discoveries near Nelson. At that time there were only a small quantity of gold extracted and the discovery was largely forgotten. […]
Mining has been one of America’s most significant drivers of growth—the many thriving towns and cities of today are a testament to how the industry has transformed the American landscape. One example of these boom-towns is Miami, a former copper-mining town in Central Arizona that saw rapid development at the turn of the 20th century. […]
Hydrargyrum—what a mouthful! That’s also the other name for quicksilver or mercury, the only metal that is liquid at room temperature (hence hydra + argyrum, or “watery silver”). As a result of this interesting property, mercury has a wide variety of applications. It can be used in thermometers, batteries, dental fillings, and— yes, you guessed […]
The goldfields of Arizona are some of the most widespread of any state. Many of the places where people find gold are in creeks and rivers, but the arid desert of Arizona means that you will also find gold in countless dry gulches and vast desert expanses. But how do you actually find a place […]
The mining activities in Spain are reported to have began way back in the 25 BC, and was primarily concentrated in the area of Las Medulas. But with time, more prospectors embarked on more explorations for the precious metals, and eventually gold was also discovered in the region of Almeria, which is located in the […]
Goldfield, Nevada was an unusual mining camp in that it was not until 1902 that gold was discovered. The district was originally called “Grandpa”, perhaps for the late date of its founding, but was eventually called Goldfield, which became a mining district on October 20, 1903. Charlie Taylor located the Florence Mine on a hill […]