Sutter's Mill, 1849 On January 24 1848, James Wilson Marshall, a carpenter originally from New Jersey, found flakes of gold in the American River at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains near Coloma, California. At the time, Marshall was working to build a water-powered sawmill owned by John Sutter.
Back to boomtowns ... Idaho Springs, Colorado On January 5, 1859, prospector George A. Jackson discovered placer gold at the present site of Idaho Springs. It was the first substantial gold discovery in Colorado. Jackson kept his find secret for several months, but after he paid for some supplies with gold dust, others rushed to "Jackson's diggings." Once the location became a permanent settlement, it was variously called Sacramento City, Idahoe, Idaho City, and finally Idaho Springs. Then and Now Miner Street, Idaho Springs, 1889.. LARGER IMAGE 2006 .(pop. 1746, est. 2016)
I wish I could remember the name of it, but I read a great book about a woman who traveled to Alaska to find her husband who had abandoned her for the gold rush. When she finally worked her way there, he had died already. First, she tried working his claim and when that didn't work out, she started buying equipment very cheaply from miners who had given up and then selling the equipment at a huge markup to new miners who had shown up without the necessary tools. Apparently she built quite the empire.
Apparently a time when women weren't required to have the thighs of a 15 year old boy.............. (One of the ladies of the Gold Rush)
The above picture looks staged, but I guess you had to hold pretty still back then for a picture. I wondered about the power lines, but it seems they had power in Colorado then, one of the first states to extend power even out to some of the mines. Another picture from the Idaho Springs Historical Society. Ore wagons. The town a little earlier (1890)
@Nancy Hart Note they had electric power in the first pic, unless they are only telegraph poles. Frank
The world’s first commercial alternating current (AC) power station was built near Ophir, Colorado in 1891. The Ames, CO, power plant was constructed by L.L. Nunn to supply electricity to the Gold King Mine. Nunn, manager of the mine, needed a less expensive way to power the Gold King. All the nearby trees had been felled and coal was too costly to bring in. After reading about George Westinghouse’s successes with AC using Nikola Tesla’s patents, Nunn approached Westinghouse with the idea to build the plant. Using Westinghouse experimental generators, Nunn successfully completed the task. On June 20, 1891, current flowed through the line to the Gold King over 2 1/2 miles away. The Gold King Mine closed in the 1920's. The Ames plant, now owned by the Western Colorado Power Company, is still in operation. First generator, Ames, Colorado, c. 1891 Gold King Mine, picture taken in 1962
Idaho Springs This mining town is home to a brewery and the original Beau Jo’s, known for making Colorado’s best pizza. Idaho Springs not only serves at the Rockies’ Front Range entry point, it also shows off its historical side with traditional-style buildings from its mining town days. Just south of downtown, the world-famous Indian Hot Springs resort boasts mineral pools, outdoor Jacuzzis, a day spa, and his-and-hers geothermal cave baths.
@Nancy Hart Very, very nice! Enlightening. I'd'a never guessed commercial power went in west of the East Coast first. Thank you! Frank
Goldfield – Queen of the Mining Camps Goldfield, Nevada around 1906 or 1907. On July 8, 1905, Goldfield suffered its first major fire when a stove exploded in the Bon Ton Millinery shop. The flames soon spread to adjoining structures. Without enough water to fight the quickly spreading flames, beer was used as an extinguisher. The July 9, 1905 issue of the Tonopah Daily Sun reported: "The buildings of the Enterprise mercantile Company were saved by the free and unlimited use of beer. Barrel after barrel was used and had a most desirous effect. Had it not been for the liquid the entire stock of goods of the company would have been ruined.” Goldfield was finally saved when the wind shifted, but not before two blocks of businesses and homes had burned to the ground.