The lure of gold in the American West beckoned to thousands of hungry settlers eager to stake a claim, reap the wealth, and escape often difficult conditions at home, whether Eastern cities, Europe or China. Prospectors found that veins of gold and silver were elusive and could dry up suddenly. Forced to move often in search of the next big lode, they left behind them hundreds of mining camps and settlements, many of which still exist across the Western landscape. This reference work catalogs silver and gold mining camps by state in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Each entry includes location, names of known miners, year of discovery, and ore value. Unique details of each camp are given, including historical events, buildings and businesses present. Interesting anecdotes abound about the resident miners. The work is indexed by topic and mine, and appendices offer a glossary and the Miners’ Ten Commandments (Placerville [California] Herald, 1853).

"Examines gold miners, including the discovery of gold in the United States, the California Gold Rush, the daily lives of miners and prospectors, and how the rush for gold changed the landscape of America"--Provided by publisher.

Distributed by the University of Nebraska Press for Caxton Press Vardis Fisher and Opal Laurel Holmes bring together the stories of all of the remarkable men and women and all of the violent contrasts that made up one of the most entrhalling chapters in American history. Fisher, a respected scholar and versatile creative writer, devoted three years to the writing of this book.

Depicts the history of more than one hundred Colorado towns abandoned after the end of the mining boom