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Gold, Silver & Treasure
The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848 triggered the greatest mass migration in American history. Prospectors, miners, and fortune seekers flooded west, chasing dreams of wealth in the mountains and streams of the frontier.
This page explores the gold rushes, silver strikes, mining culture, and the legendary treasures—both found and lost—that continue to capture imaginations to this day.
The Great Gold Rushes
California Gold Rush (1848-1855)
Colorado Gold Rush (Pike's Peak, 1858)
Montana Gold Rush (1862)
Black Hills Gold Rush (1874)
Klondike Gold Rush (1896)
Silver Strikes
The Comstock Lode (Nevada)
Tombstone silver mines (Arizona)
Leadville silver boom (Colorado)
Silver kings and mining magnates
Mining Techniques & Culture
Panning and placer mining
Hard rock mining and tunneling
Hydraulic mining
Mining camps and boomtowns
Prospector's gear and equipment
Lost Treasures & Legends
The Lost Dutchman Mine
Montezuma's hidden treasure
Jean Lafitte's buried gold
Confederate gold trains
Outlaw caches and hidden loot
Gold Rush Quotes
"Gold is where you find it." — Prospector's Saying
"There's gold in them thar hills!" — Old Miner Cry
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