Places of interest in the United States of America.
Bisbee, Arizona is built along the side of the Mule Mountains. Houses cover the slope from the valley floor nearly to the peak. The roads through Bisbee are narrow, steep, and aging. Many of the highest houses are only accessible by stairs. This was a town established not out of convenience, but out of opportunity. In…
Perched on an overlook above the historic mining town of Butte, Montana, are the commemorative bricks and engraved plaques of the Granite Mountain Memorial. It pays tribute to the survivors of hard rock mining’s greatest disaster: the Granite Mountain-Speculator Fire of June 8, 1917. The 168 men lost in the fire along with 2,500 Butte men lost from mining related causes between 1879 and 1983 are commemorated at this grand and educational outlook.
This is part seven of a series about the mines featured in the Gold Rush TV show. We suggest starting from the beginning of this series. Season 7 of Gold Rush doesn’t air until Friday, October 14th but talk about the latest mining sites is already at a fever pitch. The Hoffman crew is on…
Sitting in the heart of historic Leadville, Colorado, the Heritage Museum and Gallery pays homage to the history of the 1880s silver boomtown. The museum is housed in Leadville’s first library built in 1904 with funds from Andrew Carnegie. The library became host to the museum in 1971 when it was acquired by the Lake County Civic Center Association
This is part four of a series about the mines featured in the Gold Rush TV show. We suggest starting from the beginning of this series. Season 4 of Gold Rush took familiar faces but shuffled locations. The Hoffman crew pulled up their stakes and took a swing at mining in South America at the…
This is part three of a series about the mines featured in the Gold Rush TV show. We suggest starting from the beginning of this series. Season 3 of Gold Rush returned with familiar faces and mostly familiar locations. The Hoffman crew, Dakota Fred crew, and Parker Schnabel crew all returned to continue mining on…
This is part two of a series about the mines featured in the Gold Rush TV show. We suggest starting from the beginning of this series. After an impressively successful first season of Gold Rush, Discovery Channel tripled down by following not only the Hoffman Crew but also introducing Dakota Fred as an independent actor and…
Season 1 took place on a single gold mine. At the time of the first season the property was unnamed. The series referred to the land as the Porcupine Creek mine. In season two, it would be named the Jim Nail Placer Mine. The Jim Nail Placer Mine (aka: Porcupine Creek Mine) 59°25′6.91″N 136°13′48″W As…
Today, Ballarat is a ghost town known better for its cameo in Easy Rider or visits from the Manson Family than its early mining history. Yet, from 1897 to 1917, Ballarat was the trade hub for the rich gold and silver diggings on the western slope of the Panamint Range.
The Crystal Gold Mine is one of the first hard rock mines in Silver Valley, Idaho. It is a remarkably preserved example of mining in the 1880s. The original ore cart, tracks, tools. and many gold laden quartz veins remain in place thanks to the mine’s surprising history.
