Mining in the Old West

the long version

The 1848 discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in northern California set off a mining explosion that greatly hastened the development of the American West. This new book gathers historic photographs of mining in the Old West, from "panning" for gold in the waters of California to deep mining throughout the Western Territorities. The photos capture the lives of miners and the tent cities and early towns that grew up around the mines.