Combine love of Old West with modern Google Maps for fun, information
By: Gary SpeerI 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."
From my understanding, the Google Maps Street View is done by actually sending camera crews through an area in a vehicle and/or on foot to film the roads or streets and all the buildings, etc., that you can see from that road or street. I don't know the digital imaging process or whatever -- but I do know it gives you an incredible look at what is/was going on in a community the day the pictures were made. (In an online forum I visit often, there was discussion of a Google Street View that actually showed -- I've forgotten the state town -- a collision between one of the street view vehicles and a deer.)
If you're sitting at your computer in the middle of a city, or out on a farm, or anywhere between, and would like to venture through the mining towns or any remaining settlements in the Old West, here's one way you can maybe do that without ever leaving your chair.
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 COLORADO MINING MAP 1882 original SUMMIT CLEAR CREEK COUNTY silver gold $4,000.00 Time Remaining: 6d 22h 49m |
 Gold mining in Siberia Antique engraved map by Abbe 1768 $135.00 Time Remaining: 28d 19h 27m Buy It Now for only: $135.00 Buy It Now |
 MINING MAP GLOBAL URANIUM WORLD URANIUM MAP NEW 2011 $4.99 Time Remaining: 5d 1h 39m |
 Alaska Gold Mining Dawson City Dude March 1897 Map Of Alaska Sheet Music $24.99 Time Remaining: 5d 7h 30m |
 1945 Print Economic Russia Map Iron Mining Refinery Manufacturing Wartime Lead $19.95 Time Remaining: 1d 4h 45m Buy It Now for only: $67.95 Buy It Now |
 c1880s Map of LEADVILLE Mining District COLORADO Hand Drawn $99.99 Time Remaining: 5d 4h 1m |
 1908 Map of SMUGGLER UNION Mining Properties TELLURIDE Colorado $99.99 Time Remaining: 5d 3h 59m |
 1911 CRIPPLE CREEK DISTRICT Mining Investors CLAIM MAP TR Countryman COLORADO $202.50 (9 Bids) Time Remaining: 5d 3h 58m |
 1882 Mining Survey PLAT MAP Gold Hill Cons Mining Co BOULDER COUNTY Colorado $24.99 Time Remaining: 5d 3h 56m |
 1880 Mining Survey PLAT MAP Golden Age Lode BOULDER COUNTY Colorado $24.99 Time Remaining: 5d 3h 55m |
 1898 Mining Survey PLAT MAP Havens Lode CLEAR CREEK COUNTY Colorado $24.99 Time Remaining: 5d 3h 54m |
 MINING MAP QUEBEC ABITIBI BELT CANADA GOLD SILVER NEW 2011 $4.99 Time Remaining: 5d 2h 41m |
 MINING MAP RUSSIAN GOLD GOLD MAP NEW 2012 $4.99 Time Remaining: 5d 2h 26m |
 MINING MAP ALASKA UNITED STATES GOLD NEW 2011 $4.99 Time Remaining: 5d 2h 20m |
 MINING MAP WEST AFRICA GOLD BASE METALS NEW 2012 $4.99 Time Remaining: 5d 2h 13m |
 1936 Print Chart Gold Mining Rand Metal Production Mine South African Trend Map $19.95 Time Remaining: 1d 2h 10m Buy It Now for only: $48.95 Buy It Now |
 1938 Print Map Mexico Gulf Topography Resources Oil Merida Saltillo Mining Art $19.95 Time Remaining: 1d 2h 6m Buy It Now for only: $74.95 Buy It Now |
 MINING MAP GLOBAL COPPER WORLD COPPER MAP NEW 2011 $4.99 Time Remaining: 5d 1h 58m |
Of course, not all areas -- especially if they are rural or sparsely populated -- will have the street view available. But most areas of the U.S. and Canada have at least Google Map functions and satellite photos of some sort available. So punch in the name of your favorite spot in the Old West at maps.google.com and have a look around!
