University Of Arizona Mineral Museum
In the basement of the Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium in Tuscon, Arizona is the University of Arizona Mineral Museum. While the footprint of the museum may be small, it contains a core collection of over 35,000 mineral specimens and a micromount collection with over 7,000 additional specimens of crystals too small to appreciate with the naked eye. The collection spans 1,561 different species and 2,000 types of minerals.
Bodie State Historic Park: A Gold Mining Icon In Arrested Decay
Tucked away in the Eastern Sierras of California, Bodie is a gold-mining ghost town preserved in a state of arrested decay. Yet, in its hey day, Bodie hosted one of the richest gold strikes in California with a peak population of nearly 10,000 people. Gold and silver extracted from the Bodie Hills totaled in the millions.
A California Silver Rush in Cerro Gordo
Silver was discovered in Cerro Gordo (“Fat Hill”) in 1865 by Pablo Flores – the first major silver strike in Owens Valley and a defining feature of the Lone Pine Mining District. Today, it is a privately held mining ghost town outside of Lone Pine, California. It is infused with history and accessible by a rough dirt road.
Argo Gold Mine & Mill
Argo Gold Mine & Mill2350 Riverside Dr.Idaho Springs, CO 80452 HoursWednesday – Monday: 10AM – 6PMTours run top of the hour AdmissionGeneral: $23.00 Children: 5-10: $16.00 Children Under 5: Free The Argo Gold Mine & Mill is one of the most fascinating pieces of tour-able mining history in the United States. Not only does it…
Cullen Hall of Gems And Minerals
The Cullen Hall of Gems And Minerals in Houston, Texas’s Houston Museum of Natural Science sports a world class collection of 750 gem and mineral specimens. The darkened room sets off brilliant crystalline gold samples, along with a 2000 carat crystal emerald, the largest found in North America.
‘Gold Rush: Parker’s Trail’ Follows Historic Alaska Miners
The Seventh Season of Gold Rush has wrapped up. While Hoffman is redirecting his media celebrity onto preppers, the young Parker Schnabel is doubling down with a special Gold Rush series of his own. In Gold Rush: Parker’s Trail. Parker and friends will travel the route of early miners during the Alaska Gold Rush.
Mining History: Lode Mining
Lode mining. Quartz mining. Hard rock mining. Call it what you will, the practice of extracting ore from stone is one of the most difficult, dangerous, and expensive forms of mining.
Mining History: Hydraulic Mining
While the origins of hydraulic mining could be traced to ancient Roman technology, it’s popularly recognized use came around in the 1850s with the California Gold Rush. By shooting high pressure jets of water to dislodge and direct earth, hydraulic mining brought new life to the mostly played out placer claims of the California foothills….
Mining History: Dredging Up The Past
Tony Beets of Gold Rush fame, has made a name for himself by reviving historic dredges to mine his claims. Today, these massive multi-story mining machines are relatively rare. Back in the day, however, they were the giants of the industry.
Chihuahuan Desert Mining Heritage Exhibit
The Chihuahua Desert is the third largest desert in the Western Hemisphere, spanning parts of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Mexico. Along with several mountain ranges and dramatic vistas, the desert is home to deposits of lead, zinc, barite, copper, manganese, sulfur, oil, gas, fluorite, talc, potash, water, quarry stone, gypsum, mercury, bentonite, salt, silver,…