When the preacher rode into the gold camp he knew his work was cut out for him. It was a world filled with wickedness and greed and He knew he would not be able to build a church here without God's help. To Frenchy, he was a man unlike any she had ever known. To give all that he had and ask for nothing in return made no sense and she was determined to find out what made this man tick. To Nick, he was a problem that had to be eliminated before he ruined the world he had created. The story of these conflicting lives was played out beneath the majestic peaks of the Rocky Mountains and only God himself could know the dramatic events that would resolve the conflicts of lives on a collision course. For nearly 40 years I have been fascinated by the mining history of my state. I have visited many of the old mining camps and sought out the history of the colorful people that lived in those places. In so doing I discovered a world of high adventure and larger than life characters that once lived in those remote mountain locations. To gain a more intimate knowledge of that world I worked in the mining industry. One summer several of the miners agreed in pray that even tough and independent men like the ones that worked in our mines could be saved. God answered our prayers and over the summer many gave their lives to Christ. It made me wonder what it would have been like if a man of God had determined to bring revival to one of those notorious gold camps. This story is the result of that idea.

The gold processing industry is experiencing change. As free-milling and oxide ores become depleted, more complex polymetallic and refractory ores are being processed, coupled with increasing pressure for stricter environmental compliance. Recent years have also seen a steady reduction in mineral processing and metallurgy graduates and a gradual loss of older operating experience. A contribution to documenting current and future best practice in gold ore processing seems timely.The focus of this volume is on advances in current gold plant operation, from conception to closure; chapters also cover innovations at the bench and pilot-scale level that would be expected to find commercial application at some stage. Sufficient coverage is also given to the chemistry and engineering aspects. The general principle behind the structure of the volume is that of flowsheeting based on unit operations and applied to a mineralogical classification of gold ore types. From concept to closure, this book covers all unit operations, mineralogies and processes that are relevant to dealing with today's complex orebodies.Practical experience is vital to the successful development, operation and closure of any operation. The 42 chapters have been contributed by a total of 66 authors and co-authors who are experts from countries spanning the globe, and representing exhaustive practical knowledge covering many disciplines relevant to gold processing.* Current best practice as elucidated by a select panel of experts in the field* Innovations at the bench and pilot-scale level that would be expected to find commercial application at some stage* Mineralogical-based approach to flowsheeting