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117 results for: Mining

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Image of Cabins and mining activities near Nome, circa 1905
Photograph

Cabins and mining activities near Nome, circa 1905

By 1901, many of Alaska's small scale mining operations had been replaced by large industrial mining companies. Miners lived in camps near the mining operations.This B.B. Dobbs photo shows cabins and mining activities somewhere near Nome. Piles of pay dirt dwarf the small buildings. The small structure in the foreground may be an outhouse. The building to the far right,…
ID Number:SHS516
Date:Circa 1905
Image of Two miners weighing gold in cabin, near Nome, Alaska, circa 1900
Photograph

Two miners weighing gold in cabin, near Nome, Alaska, circa 1900

The last stage in the mining process was called the cleanup. After the last of the gold was washed from the pay dirt, the miners weighed it to see how much gold they had gotten.This photo shows two miners weighing gold in a comfortably furnished cabin. One man (left) weighs the nuggets in a pan balance while the other holds…
ID Number:SHS550
Date:Circa 1900
Image of Child near mining equipment, Nome, August 30, 1906
Photograph

Child near mining equipment, Nome, August 30, 1906

Whole families traveled to the Yukon and Alaskan gold fields. Some couples met there and raised families. Many children worked with their parents on mining claims. It was a rough environment for children. Temperatures in Nome during the winter of 1899-1900 ranged from -35 to +35 degrees Fahrenheit with strong chilly winds.This photo of a child in Nome was taken…
ID Number:SHS565
Date:1906
Image of First Ave. South from King Street, Seattle, circa 1900
Photograph

First Ave. South from King Street, Seattle, circa 1900

This view of First Avenue South looks north from King Street and was possibly taken from the railroad trestle that crossed First Avenue at King until 1903. Arctic Oil Works at 313 First Avenue South and Jackson is visible at left. In this image, pedestrians walk on the plank sidewalks and the 1st Avenue trolley heads south in the middle…
ID Number:SHS958
Date:Circa 1900
Image of Dredging operation at Bonanza, Yukon Territory, circa 1903
Photograph

Dredging operation at Bonanza, Yukon Territory, circa 1903

Even as people poured into Dawson and the Yukon Territory during the summer of 1898, the day of the individual gold miner had begun to pass. Soon, large scale industrial mining companies were dredging the creekbeds with heavy equipment.This photo shows the Bonanza Basin, near where the Klondike River (foreground) meets the Yukon River (background). A dredge is working in…
ID Number:SHS7258
Date:Circa 1903
Image of Miners and sluices on Bonanza Creek, circa 1898
Photograph

Miners and sluices on Bonanza Creek, circa 1898

Miners used water running through sluice boxes to wash the gold out of the pay dirt. Lumber for the sluice boxes was cut from the surrounding hills and finished in a nearby sawmill. As the hills were cleared, lumber became even more expensive. By the time this photo was taken, large mining companies had begun to replace small scale mining…
ID Number:SHS7300
Date:Circa 1898
Image of View of sluices and piles of gravel at Ophir, circa 1905
Photograph

View of sluices and piles of gravel at Ophir, circa 1905

Gold strikes were made on Ophir Creek, near Nome, Alaska, in 1897. By 1905, the day of the individual miner had passed, giving way to larger scale industrial mining at Ophir and elsewhere.This photo, taken by Albert Kinne around 1905, shows the hoisting works at claim 14 at Ophir Creek. The hoists, possibly pulled by the horses (center left), lift…
ID Number:SHS7301
Date:Circa 1905
Image of Men and sluice at Hunker Creek, circa 1898
Photograph

Men and sluice at Hunker Creek, circa 1898

Like Bonanza Creek, Hunker Creek flows into the Klondike River, Yukon Territory. During the season of 1898-99, $1.5 million of gold was mined at Hunker Creek. By 1899, the day of small scale mining had passed, and industrial mining had already begun.This photo of a group of miners working on a sluice at Hunker Creek was taken by Hegg &…
ID Number:SHS7302
Date:Circa 1898
Image of Down in a Nome gold mine, circa 1903
Photograph

Down in a Nome gold mine, circa 1903

In Alaska and the Yukon, placer gold was found along ancient stream beds, some of which were underground. This often required much digging and long hours in the cold and dark. Candles were scarce and expensive at a dollar apiece.This photo, taken in Nome sometime between 1899 and 1906, shows a group of people working 110 feet underground for the…
ID Number:SHS7980
Date:Circa 1903
Image of Three men and a rocker in the Nome gold fields, circa 1905
Photograph

Three men and a rocker in the Nome gold fields, circa 1905

Many gold miners used rockers (also called cradles) to remove gold from pay dirt. They shoveled the dirt and gravel into a tray at the top of the rocker, and they shook the rocker back and forth as they poured water on the tray. Finer pieces of gold and dirt washed through holes in the tray into the box beneath.…
ID Number:SHS7986
Date:Circa 1905
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MOHAI stands on the historic and contemporary lands and shores of the Duwamish, Suquamish, Muckleshoot, and other Coast Salish Nations. We acknowledge the forced displacement of Native Communities from this land while honoring the endurance of the Duwamish people who still live here.
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