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,…
October 2016 Review
Over the month of October, the total number of mining claims on public land overseen by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) dropped by 165 claims. This is due to a low number of claims staked in the month—down 93% compared to October 2015—as well as a high number of abandoned claims—up 321% compared to…
Copper Queen Mine
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…
September 2016 Review
Mining claim activity on public land overseen by the Bureau of Land Management was relatively slow and small but positive over the month of September. While the number of mining claims staked in September 2016 was 80% less than the number staked in September 2015, it remained a positive trend given the 1,416 staked claims…
Granite Mountain Memorial
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.
Gold Rush 2016 Season 7 Mining Claim Locations
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…
Gold Rush 2015 Season 6 Mining Claim Locations
This is part six of a series about the mines featured in the Gold Rush TV show. We suggest starting from the beginning of this series. Season 6 of Gold Rush was a season of familiar settings but raised stakes. All the teams returned to last season’s diggings but with new, ambitions goals. McKinnon Creek…