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Unit 4: Miners

Discover the captivating journey of the gold rush in the 1850s, from significant gold finds to the challenges of hard rock mining. Unveil why gold is valuable, the rush to Pike's Peak, and the techniques used in placer and hard rock mining.

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Unit 4: Miners

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  1. Unit 4: Miners

  2. THE DECADE OF THE 1850’S • Slow-Fur trade was over and there were few settlers • Uncertain-no mines were open and farmland was plentiful • Uneventful in the Eastern United States

  3. GOLD

  4. Searching for Gold… • Spanish sought gold when they first came to North America • 1849 – California Gold Rush (the 49ers)

  5. Major Gold Finds • 1828-Georgia-Led to Indian dispersal (Trail of Tears) • 1848-Sutter’s Mill near Sacramento Ca. • 1859-Pike’s Peak area • 1859-Nevada-Gold and silver found • 1863-Montana • 1876-Black Hills of S.D. • 1890’s-Klondike of Alaska;Canada in Yukon area

  6. Why Gold is Valuable • Rare • Indestructible-Does not tarnish • Medium of exchange (most societies accept this as money) • Can’t reproduce it • Malleable-Can be broken to any size • Gold is gold-Pure in form unlike diamonds (A karat is 1/24 part of pure gold-24K=Pure gold)

  7. Pikes Peak or Bust • 1850 – Cherokees found small amount of gold in Arvada • Fall Leaf, an Indian army scout, returned to Kansas with gold • Winter of 1857-58 -- Lawrence, Kansas group left for Colorado (due to Fall Leaf’s stories) • Winter of 1857-58 -- Oklahoma group (William Green Russell), along with Cherokees went West… found several hundred dollars in gold • John Cantrell joined them, went back East, told everyone about gold • August 1858 Newspaper – “Gold in Kansas Territory” (Colorado) • Led to “Pike’s Peak or Bust”

  8. Pikes Peak or Bust Due to John Cantrell’s claims of gold, the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush of 1858-59 began Spring of 1859 – 100,000 “59ers” set off for Colorado

  9. FIRST GOLD STRIKES • Idaho Springs (Jan 1859) • Gold Hill, above Boulder (Jan 1859) • Central City/Black Hawk (Apr 1859) • All tried to keep it a secret…NO LUCK • Due to the little gold found, only about 25,000 of 100,000 “59ers” stayed

  10. Placer Mining • Surface mining • Panning • Needs water • More popular

  11. Placer Mining Sluice Box

  12. HARD ROCK MINING • More Difficult • Underground • Mined gold ore from the veins • Required expensive equipment (brought from east) • Shafts, tunnels

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