Mining

2/17/16 – Comets

For thousands of years the night sky has elicited awe and inspiration. Cultures from around the world have drawn spiritual connections to the twinkling stars and the various shapes of the moon, but perhaps nothing has captivated the human population as much as comets. Last month I came across 19th-century sketches of comets while conducting… Read the Rest »

10/21/15 – The Legacy of Public Libraries – Then and Now, Part II

Today’s blog is the second installment in SHRA’s series on libraries. The first installment discussed the role that libraries played in historic mining towns. Today’s installment looks at the more contemporary issues that mining communities face. When people think of U.S. mining industry history, many people immediately think of the 1850s California Gold Rush. But… Read the Rest »

4/1/15 – Hite’s Cove

Every early March my thoughts turn to Hite’s Cove, a steep-sided canyon along the South Fork of the Merced River just west of Yosemite National Park. For those living in the small town up the road from Hite’s Cove, as I did for three years, there is no better place to spot early spring wildflowers…. Read the Rest »

1/12/15 – Coeur d’Alene Mining Pollution

We recently came upon an unexpected Idaho Daily Statesman headline – “Nelson Attacks River Pollution” – while doing research on the early 1930s.[i] The headline appeared more than 30 years before pollution and sewage caused Ohio’s Cuyahoga River to catch fire and help spur the environmental movement to address water pollution nationwide. But, in northern… Read the Rest »

9/3/2010: The Mining Law of 1866

SHRA has spent quite a lot of time in recent months doing work related to the 1866 Mining or Right of Way Act.  Among many other things, the law provides perpetual ROWs for uses that existed on public land at the time the land was withdrawn from the public domain.  There is a provision of… Read the Rest »