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Explore stories in Northwest history through highlights from MOHAI’s collections. Search by keyword below or browse the entire online collection by entering the asterisk symbol (*). Filter your search by type of materials.

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117 results for: Mining

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Image of Consolidated Mining Company headquarters, Silverton, Washington, circa 1895
Photograph

Consolidated Mining Company headquarters, Silverton, Washington, circa 1895

In 1891, a group of Snohomish County, Washington, miners named their town Silverton for its veins of silver-bearing ore. Silverton and nearby mining areas also yielded gold, copper and lead. This 1890s photo, identified as the the headquarters of the 45 Consolidated Mining Company at the Magus Mine, near Silverton. Note the large logs in the walls of the rear…
ID Number:SHS9428
Date:Circa 1895
Image of Packtrain in Silverton, Washington, circa 1895
Photograph

Packtrain in Silverton, Washington, circa 1895

In 1891, a group of Snohomish County, Washington, miners named their new town Silverton for its veins of silver-bearing ore. This and nearby mining areas also yielded gold, copper, and lead. In the early days, the mining companies packed supplies in and out of the district by horse and mule trains. This 1890s photo shows Johnny Jones' packtrain leaving the…
ID Number:SHS9429
Date:Circa 1895
Image of David Denny at log cabin near Lake Keechelus, 1899
Photograph

David Denny at log cabin near Lake Keechelus, 1899

During the summer of 1899, Seattle pioneer David Denny supervised the improvement of 27 miles of wagon road through Snoqualmie Pass, from North Bend, Washington, to the south end of Lake Keechelus. Between the beginning of June and the end of September, workers blasted and moved rocks, built bridges, resurfaced parts of the old road with logs, and relocated the…
ID Number:SHS9441
Date:1899
Image of View of Klondike City, circa 1898
Photograph

View of Klondike City, circa 1898

On July 8, 1897, an unidentified Dawson woman was quoted in The Seattle Times. She said, "There is a new mining district just discovered, fifty miles up the Yukon from here. It is turning out to be a great thing. There are over 600 claims already staked and a new town started up called Klondike..."This photo shows the town of…
ID Number:SHS9537
Date:Circa 1898
Image of Dredge at Solomon River, Alaska, circa 1900
Photograph

Dredge at Solomon River, Alaska, circa 1900

By 1901, many of Alaska's small scale mining operations had been replaced by large industrial mining companies. Many of these companies used large steam-powered dredges to scoop up the gravel from creekbeds. This photo, taken around 1900, shows a dredge belonging to the Three Friends Mining Co. working the Solomon River, Alaska. Original title: Three Friends Mining Co. dredge Solomon…
ID Number:SHS9546
Date:Circa 1900
Image of Hydraulic mining at Glacier Creek, near Nome, Alaska, circa 1904
Photograph

Hydraulic mining at Glacier Creek, near Nome, Alaska, circa 1904

By 1904, many of the gold mining claims around Nome, Alaska, were owned and operated by large mining companies. That year, the Miocene Ditch Company used hydraulic mining techniques at Price Bros. claim No. 2 below the original strike on Glacier Creek.This photo shows the Miocene Ditch Company's hydraulic mining operations at Glacier Creek, near Nome. A high powered stream…
ID Number:SHS9547
Date:Circa 1904
Image of Manning a sluice at Bonanza Creek, circa 1898
Photograph

Manning a sluice at 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 nearby hills and finished in a nearby sawmill. As the hills were cleared, lumber became even more expensive. A typical two-man sluice was fifty feet long, ten inches tall, and twelve to fourteen inches across, with…
ID Number:SHS9548
Date:Circa 1898
Image of Alaska packer, circa 1901
Photograph

Alaska packer, circa 1901

Sometime between 1897 and 1908, a photographer by the name of Reese took two photographs of the same Alaskan miner and gave them different titles. This photo, taken from the back, shows the miner carrying his gold pan, cookware, rifle, and other supplies. Another photo in this collection, entitled "An Alaska Prospector," shows the same man from the front. On…
ID Number:SHS10342B
Date:Circa 1901
Image of Panning for gold at Gold Hill, Yukon Territory, circa 1898
Photograph

Panning for gold at Gold Hill, Yukon Territory, circa 1898

Miners used water running through sluices to wash the gold out of the pay dirt. Larger chunks of gold and gravel settled out along the uneven bottom of the sluice boxes. The smallest pieces of gold and dirt were washed to end of the sluice box where the gold was removed by panning.This photo, taken around 1898 by Asahel Curtis,…
ID Number:SHS11388
Date:Circa 1898
Image of Men on the street of Atlin, British Columbia, May 24, 1899
Photograph

Men on the street of Atlin, British Columbia, May 24, 1899

The Klondike was not the only gold mining area. In the late 1890s, gold was also found Atlin, British Columbia, to the east of White Pass. Many gold seekers left Dawson to try their luck in Atlin.//This photo, taken by Anton Vogee, shows a group of men in the street at Atlin, B.C. Three men ride a single horse (center…
ID Number:SHS11958
Date:1899
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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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