Prospecting And Mining

Gold Rush came slowly in early Colorado

The so-called Gold Rush, which burst into America’s history with the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill in California in 1848, came about in pretty leisurely fashion in Colorado, driven by the casual bands of settlers and stragglers that came to be known as Coloradans. (They “came to be known” by that name because the earliest miners and settlers who populated the region first named it “Jefferson Territory.” The name “Colorado” came as a second choice, after the initial enthusiasm to name the territory to honor President Thomas Jefferson.)

Book offers treasure trove of stories about Colorado’s gold, silver rushes

One of my very favorite books about the Old West provides a treasure trove of stories about Colorado’s gold and silver rushes. From Bat Masterson to “Baby Doe” Tabor and from Cripple Creek to Leadville — the whole sprawling adventure packed with tales and tall tales is in this book.

Women prospectors were few in the gold fields, but they were there

Women prospectors in the gold fields of the Old West were few, but they were there. Modern portrayals in Western fiction of the 49ers and other well-known gold rushes work pretty hard at getting the gold prospecting supplies and other period details correct — but they leave out the women who worked at the backbreaking labor along side men, all of them caught up in the gold rush, all suffering from gold fever!

Learn from joke about old prospector and young gunslinger

I don’t think I’ve ever shared a joke here on the Old West site, but this one about an Old Prospector and Young Gunslinger was just to priceless to pass up. Be sure to read the whole thing for the “moral” at the end. Enjoy a little “Old West” humor — with no particular effort to be historically authentic!

One woman found creative profits in Old West mining camp

Women who traveled to the gold fields often found creative ways to profit in the mining camps of the Old West. In many cases, these were practical, hardworking wives and mothers who brought order to the chaos of the camps and turned hardship into gold of their own.

Mining claims lay at the heart of prospectors’ dreams, schemes

Mining claims lay at the heart of the prospectors’ dreams and schemes in the days of Old West gold rushes. Fundamentals of organizing the gold fields (and regions rich in other precious metals) were pretty much the same. Prospectors wisely knew that mining claims were fundamental, but organizing into recognized districts run by elected officials and even lawmen chosen and empowered by voters (usually) were crucial to everyone’s well-being and success.

Ghost towns of America abound throughout the West

Tiny abandoned or nearly abandoned villages are everywhere, but the ghost towns of America abound throughout the West. History of the Old West often focuses on the country’s westward expansion; but many who are most interested in the West are more interested in ghost towns than growing Western towns and cities.

Enjoy Denver Public Library’s Western History Collection

One of my favorite research and reference sources is the Western History Collection at the Denver Public Library in — of course! — Denver, Colorado.

The beauty of their collection is that a great deal of material, especially some incredible images, is accessible online now. And their collection doesn’t deal only with Colorado and Colorado Territory, but has material from a huge variety of sources all over the U.S. West.

Prospectors needed grub, they looked for grubstakers

You can’t watch too many old Westerns or read a few Western novels without running into these two words somewhere — “grub” and “grubstake.”

The first was used most commonly as sling for food, “grub” — but it didn’t get that meaning from the Old West. According to Winfred Blevins’ “Dictionary of the American West” (which I reference a lot around these parts), “grub” started as a cattle term. It was “an earmark that consisted of cutting off the whole ear of the critter.” The use of it for food came form slang dating from mid-17th century Britain, according to Blevins.

‘Float gold’ could make anyone rich or a pauper

“Float gold” or “floated gold” livened up life in the Old West with the ability to turn any man or woman rich — or turn any man or woman into a pauper. As the name implies, it was gold which had washed (floated) down from the mines in mountains into the streams and creeks. Mining float gold was done by “placer mining”: Using dredges, pans, sluices and other hydraulic methods to separate the grains and nuggets of gold from the sand and gravel along and inside of streams and rivers throughout the West.

Combine love of Old West with modern Google Maps for fun, information

I was just playing around and found a great way to combine love of the Old West with modern, high-tech Google Maps functions for some fun and useful information.

If you haven’t used Google Maps, especially the new “Street View” function, you really need to give it a try. I just looked up “Gold Hill, Colorado” on Google Maps. One of the options I saw was “Street View.” I clicked on that and suddenly found myself traveling along Gold Hill Road at road level, looking through the trees and roadside rocks as I approached Main Street in this little Colorado “ghost town.”

Care to try your hand at panning or prospecting for gold?

If you’ve read all the tales of gold rushes, prospectors, and gold panning along rugged mountain streams, maybe you’ve thought about trying your luck at finding some of the gold “in them thar hills”?

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