GoldPaq

Although California is the American state that typically comes to mind when one thinks of gold, Nevada is, in fact, the American state that produces the most gold.

Well over half of the gold mined in the United States comes from Nevada, making the state one of the biggest producers of gold in the entire world, third behind Africa and Australia.

However, it was not gold but silver that Nevada first became famous for. Although gold had been discovered in Nevada in the early 1850s, when silver was discovered in Nevada in 1858, much excitement ensued, excitement that quickly turned to consternation; the silver deposits in Nevada proved deadly to mine.

The silver deposit that caused so much excitement in Nevada in the 1850s was what eventually became known as the Comstock Lode, named for Henry Comstock, who staked a claim on the lode after its discoverers, the Grosch brothers, both died attempting to finance mining at the lode. The Grosch brothers were only the first in a long line of men who’d lose their lives attempting to extract the valuable silver ore from the Comstock Lode. Cave-ins were common during the early days of mining in the Comstock Lode, but just as dangerous was the hot water that flowed throughout the seam of silver ore. This hot water was deadly, as it was hot enough to scald a person to death almost instantly.

Initially, gold was extracted from the Comstock Lode only as a by-product of silver; the silver and it’s by-product were astoundingly profitable. Between 1859 and 1878, when the Comstock Lode was mined out, it produced approximately $400 million in silver and gold. This would be equivalent to $500?600 billion in current financial markets.

The Comstock Lode was also responsible for one of the first large mining towns in the U.S., Virginia City, Nevada. The gold mines surrounding the city made it one of the Western U.S. first metropolitan cities, housing 20,000 residents - among them many millionaires - an opera house, luxurious hotels and other entertainments by the 1860s.

In addition to the Comstock Lode, there are several other silver deposits in Nevada that are responsible for considerable amounts of silver, including the Eureka, Rochester, Reese River, and Tonopah deposits. Many of these deposits, Eureka in particular, also produced gold as a by-product of silver. But eventually, gold overtook silver as the primary mined ore in Nevada, due to the high demand for gold and the large content of gold contained in the deposits. Although Nevada remains number two in silver production after Alaska, it is gold that the state now counts as it’s most profitable ore.

The Carlin gold seam, part of the Eureka gold deposit, is 5 miles wide and 40 miles long and is responsible for more gold production than any other mining district in Nevada or the entire United States. More than 50 million troy ounces - 1,555 tons - has been mined from the Carlin seam, and this huge production has resulted in Carlin becoming a leader in the gold mining industry, pioneering the open-pit and cyanide heap leach system of mining now used around the world.

For those who are interested in the history of gold mining or modern gold-mining, Nevada is an excellent place to begin exploring gold. Although many of the towns that gold and silver built in the 1800s are little more than ghost towns today - Virginia City among them - the gold and silver mining districts still offer those who wish to learn more about Nevada’s mining history many opportunities to do so. The Virginia and Truckee railroad route, which was built expressly for taking Nevada gold and silver to market, is still open to tours during the summer, taking visitors on an historic trip throughout the gold and silver mining district, including towns such as Virginia City, Gold Hill and Dayton. If you are interested in modern gold mining, the Eureka County area offers your best chance at seeing modern gold mines.

If you fancy yourself more than a tourist, and would like to try your hand at gold mining, there are many areas in Nevada that are known for being gold-panning hotspots. Placer deposits, or deposits of gold that lie close enough to the earth’s surface that the gold can be found in streams and soil, have been located in several counties in Nevada, including: Churchill, Clark, Douglas, Elko, Esmeralda, Eureka, Humboldt, Osgood, Lander, Lyon, Mineral, Nye, Pershing, Storey, Ormsby, and White Pine. The price of gold is high enough you can earn good money while on vacation. While gold panning can be a time consuming process, resulting in small yields, many enjoy the panning just as much as the gold they discover.

If you’re looking for gold, look to Nevada - the real Golden State.

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.